Lost In Translation
by Ontogenesis
Summary: Lesson XI: Kurogane and Fai arrive at Yasha's keep.
1. Lesson I: Beginnings

**Pairing:** KuroFai

**Disclaimer:** These two were hatched from the collective brain of CLAMP. Not mine.

**Spoilers:** I don't think so, but it is set during the Shurano arc. I intend to write a few short stories based on the adventures of Kurogane and Fai in Yasha territory, with a focus on the language barrier because I love teaching, languages, and cross-cultural confusion. Yummy.

**Rating: **For all the stories as a whole (language, some violence... possible "adult situations." Oh ho ho.)

* * *

The moonlight seeped in through an opening on the cave's roof, illuminating the rabbit Kurogane balanced in one hand as he _very_ carefully attempted to skin it with his long sword. A breeze whistled through the cave, but other than that, it was blessedly silent.

Kurogane sighed. This was, of course, temporary. Fai had left the shelter to fetch water to boil dinner in, but he would inevitably return and murder the silence with that mix of mangled Japanese and his own strange language. Fai was inconsiderate that way.

During the few weeks he had been stuck wandering the wilderness _alone_ with the damned insane mage and _no_ walking pork-bun translator, Kurogane had managed to beat a few key phrases of Japanese into Fai's flighty brain while they hunted for adequate shelter and scrounged the scrubby wasteland for scrawny prey (tonight's menu: mutant fire-breathing bunny rabbit, complete with scales.) Key phrases being: monster, run, shut up, sleep, food, and water. And of course, his own personal favorite: "I _will_ kill you." Fai had learned that sentence - his first complete sentence of Japanese - with surprising speed. Regardless, Kurogane had never wanted to be a language teacher, of all things: to a ninja, silence was a weapon just as his sword was. A ninja who couldn't maintain his silence couldn't sneak up on his enemy and neatly relieve him of his head. A ninja who chattered exposed his thoughts and vulnerabilities to his enemies. Plus Kurogane simply thought talk was overrated. Usually his glare was sufficient to convey everything he wanted to say and a whole lot more efficient.

Hell, he hadn't even wanted to be a _sword_ teacher to Shaoran and he _liked_ cutting things. But one of them had to learn the other's language, and it made sense that it would be Fai. It was Fai's Big Wish, after all, to never return to Celes, and thus Kurogane did not believe they would be needing the language anytime soon if the Space Time Bitch did her job properly (although Kurogane was having serious, justifiable doubts in her abilities at the moment.) Secondly, many of the worlds they had been dragged through so far seemed to use some variant of Japanese. Kurogane knew this because while Mokona translated all the speech for them automatically, the translation did not extend to the written word. Yet kanji was widespread enough that Kurogane could continue reading the serial installments of _Maganya _ (with a little help from the brat now and then.) Judging from Fai's occasional remarks, though, they had not yet come across any worlds that used a writing system he was familiar with.

Finally, Fai _was _a wizard, or a recovering wizard or whatever, and Kurogane knew from association with his own mother and Tomoyo that magic users regularly learned all sorts of spells, many in nonsensical languages (it was easy for Kurogane to see why making up languages would appeal to the crazy sort like Tomoyo and Fai – it was like being part of a twisted club with its own special, useless secret handshake.) Therefore, learning a _real _language with logical rules should be a piece of cake for Fai. Right?

"ku-RO-ga-NE-WOO-WOO!"

_Or not. _ Kurogane winced at the horrible mutilation of his name, wishing that he could rip his eardrums out temporarily. The ancestor-shaming name mutilation was his great, glaring failure as a teacher of language. He had tried repeatedly to teach Fai to pronounce his name correctly, but Fai had not yet reproduced it to his satisfication, not even once. The ninja suspected that Fai was being purposefully perverse tonight, and thus he punished Fai by pretending to be too preoccupied with the mutant-bunny to look up as Fai traipsed into the cave, cheerfully swinging the bucket of water. The wizard looked slightly disappointed, then shrugged and started quietly chattering to himself as he began striking two rocks together in order to start a cookfire.

The ninja growled to himself as he gutted the mutant bunny with a bit more force than necessary. In retrospect, he wasn't terribly surprised to realize that Fai's native language _really_ annoyed him. If languages were a reflection of a culture (as Tomoyo had once suggested), Fai's entire culture was mentally disturbed: he spoke a language that sounded as if it were stuck on a see-saw. Up-and-down, up-and-down. The language was also full of clusters of consonants that sounded like metal in one's mouth, although this was balanced out partially because Fai's voice was ridiculously soft like a noblewoman's. Japanese, on the other hand, was even, steady, disciplined, with the right amount of vowels sprinkled throughout it to give a nice, fluid sound. Not at _all _like Fai's language.

"_ku-RO-ga-MO- wa-NO..."_

Oh hell. The wizard was making up songs with his name. Very_ bad _songs. He hadn't wanted to play teacher tonight, but Fai was his pupil nonetheless and his honor was at stake. A vein started throbbing in his forehead, pulsating to the beat of Fai's hideous song.

"_-ku-wan-KOOO--!"_

Kurogane's arm shot out and he grabbed Fai by the wrist, abruptly ending the silly song. "Stop that," the ninja growled as Fai's eyes widened in shock. "That is NOT how you say my name. You don't get to say my name in _any_ form until you can pronounce it correctly at least once." Fai blinked at him in confusion and Kurogane frowned, running through a mental tally of vocabulary. He had taught the ex-wizard "you," "don't," "my," "name," and "no" (although "no" required constant reteaching), but probably not "pronounce" and "correctly," and he wasn't sure how he could teach those words either. Fai didn't know enough Japanese for Kurogane to explain that Japanese was a language that weighted syllables equally, but Kurogane knew that Fai wasn't going to realize it on his own.

Kurogane furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as he thought of a new approach. He loosened his grasp on Fai's wrist and cupped it instead, then took the index finger of his other hand and held it front of Fai's face. "Watch." Kurogane rhythmically tapped his index finger on Fai's wrist as he slowly said the syllables of his name, a tap for each syllable. "_Ku-ro-ga-ne_. _Ku-ro-ga-ne."_

Fai's mouth rounded in surprise, and Kurogane saw a flicker of realization in the wizard's eyes. "Ku-ro-ga-ne?" he offered hesitantly.

"Yes, good." Kurogane gave Fai a small smile (_only _because it was the easiest way to show approval). Encouraged, Fai repeated his name several more times with increasing confidence then began to recite other Japanese words, taking care to emphasize the syllables equally.

The ninja allowed himself to gloat in this minor victory. Now if Fai mangled his name, he would _know_ it was intentional and he would enjoy beating the crap out of the wizard. If he could manage to catch him: Fai was fast. He probably had lots of practice running from pissed off people in his own world, Kurogane speculated as he examined Fai's captured hand. His skin was soft, but Kurogane sensed the wiry strength of an athlete lurking in his long, graceful fingers. They were a little cool, though, and Fai's coat sleeves were damp. Silly wizard had probably been careless and gotten wet in the stream; he didn't possess an ounce of common sense. Maybe he should take the wizard's coat off so he wouldn't catch a damn cold; the nights were always cold here and he was too skinny to have decent insulation. It would be a pain to try to keep the fire going all night with the breeze. Maybe he would just sleep next to Fai to keep him warm. It was better than listening to him whine about being cold, and Fai wasn't unpleasant to touch.

_...the hell?_ Kurogane jerked back, dropping Fai's hands. "Kurogane?" asked the wizard questioningly.

Kurogane quickly turned his back so Fai wouldn't see his hot cheeks. "I, uh, forgot about the rabbit." He scooped the mutant rabbit up from where it lay neglected and pitiful in the dirt; he had dropped it earlier when Fai's songs pissed him off. The ninja busied himself with finishing the gutting of the rabbit. During dinner, he was careful to avoid eye contact with Fai and only grunted when Fai jabbered to him.

His cheeks were still burning when he lay down to sleep (_not_ anywhere close to Fai, not even within poking-with-a-long-sword distance.) How had he gone from relishing the idea of beating Fai senseless to planning a snuggly-slumberfest with him?

Kurogane agonized over this for several sleepless hours until he struck upon the obvious answer and solution:

He would definitely have to start boiling the drinking water.

* * *

**Notes:**

I really appreciate feedback! I use comments to improve my writing. Please let me know if Kuro-min is reasonably in character (I exaggerated a bit for humor, but I hope he's still recognizable as Kurogane.)

I'm continuing with my idea from _Child of Celes_ about Fai's culture being similar to Russia. Russian is definitely a language that uses stresses and lots of consonants, and I think it does seem

"harsh" compared to Japanese (so does English for that matter.) A few sound files of Russian are posted in my LJ (see profile) for the curious.

Why is speaking syllables with equal weight a big deal to Japanese? One reason is that they have difficulties hearing unstressed syllables if there are stressed syllables in a sentence (For example, after meeting Americans for the first time, the Japanese believed the Americans were calling themselves "Merikans" because Americans stress the word "a-ME-ri-kans." There is so much stress on the second syllable that the Japanese heard that and not the quieter "a" syllable.) Your ears are accustomed to catching particular sounds and patterns, so you usually have to train your ears in order to pick up on foreign ones.

Kurogane seems to know a bit more about language than the typical ninja would. My theory: Tomoyo receives ambassadors and visitors frequently and has probably taught her favorite ninja a little about their cultures, including language. Kurogane's impetus for learning a bit about languages? So he can spy on visitors and figure out if they're plotting something. I bet he would be the type to want to learn to curse people out in their own language too. XD


	2. Lesson II: Sketches

**Lesson II:** Sketches (No. 2 of ? )

**Pairing:** KuroFai

**Disclaimer:** These two were hatched from the collective brain of CLAMP. Not mine.

**Spoilers:** I don't think so, but it is set during the Shurano arc. I intend to write a few short stories based on the adventures of Kurogane and Fai in Yasha territory, with a focus on the language barrier because I love teaching, languages, and cross-cultural confusion. Yummy.

**Rating:** For all the stories as a whole (language, some violence... possible "adult situations." Oh ho ho. A rather naughty word in this segment – but it's the one I think these characters would use. Sorry.

* * *

Kurogane walked along the banks of the stream, checking the simple wooden traps he'd hidden in the bushes. As he and Fai moved further south, they continued to follow the stream in hopes of finding civilization. The stream was steadily growing in size, although the vegetation was still somewhat mangy and pitiful, which disappointed Kurogane because it likely meant he wouldn't be finding any decent-sized prey yet. He hoped to catch something bigger than the mutant-bunnies that were currently the staple of their diet. Slaying prey that was only the size of a poodle didn't satisfy his inner ninja, although Kurogane had discovered yesterday that they could still put up a ferocious fight. He scowled as his burned right ankle throbbed again, the casualty of an epic struggle with a particularly aggressive bunny that _just wouldn't die._

Since all the traps were empty, he plucked some spike-covered fruit that he'd seen the bunnies nibbling and then headed back to camp.

"Kurogane-tan!" Fai waved at him from where he lay on the ground, doodling in the dirt. "Got a new camp?"

Kurogane grunted in dissent, scowling as his eyes flicked over the current "camp" in disapproval. Unlike their previous shelter in a cave, this camp was just a pitiful rock overhang. The overhang afforded no protection from the cool night air, and if it rained they both had to sleep sitting up. Furthermore, the land surrounding the overhang was flat and featureless for miles, so the camp would be completely exposed to any prying eyes. Kurogane didn't like it at all. He had been hoping to find a better, more concealed shelter near the stream. Something defensible.

"What's that hideous smell?" Kurogane's nose twitched, offended by the pungent odor that wafted from the cooking pot. "I hope to hell it's not dinner, 'cause I'd rather take my chances with these." He tossed the spike-fruit to Fai, who examined them with interest.

"Silly Kuro-muu. It's for his foot." Kurogane apprehensively noticed bits of thistle-blossoms floating in the pot; the concoction appeared to be some sort of witch's—wizard's—brew. Fai gestured wildly for Kurogane to sit next to him, and Kurogane did so reluctantly, recalling that Fai had given Sakura a salve for the brat back in Outo Country and Shaoran had not (to his knowledge) sprouted an extra eye. Fai carefully tugged off Kurogane's shoe before the ninja could protest and upturned the pot's contents onto the injured foot. It stung and Kurogane's eyes watered, but soon the ache of the burn subsided. After the liquid had dried, Fai loosely wrapped a long strip of cloth around Kurogane's ankle and smiled at his handiwork. "It's good for--" Fai paused, searching for words. He drew his thin eyebrows together in frustration.

Kurogane wanted to help him but he had no idea of what Fai wanted to say; for all Fai's clowning, he was quite intelligent and spoke as well as any of the educated nobles in Tomoyo's court. "Thank you," Kurogane said instead, noticing that Fai had torn one of his sleeves all the way up to the elbow for the bandage. Fai beamed and picked up the fruit again, sniffing at it cautiously and poking it with his fingers.

Kurogane added "doctor" to his mental list of the occupations Fai dabbled in. He wondered if Celes ran on a tight budget and Fai acted not only as the wizard, but also the doctor, the cook, the maid, and the jester. It would explain a lot, especially Fai's tendency to act with pure impunity. No one would dare reprimand the person who could withhold dinner _and_ medical services _and_ turn you into a frog to boot.

Fai tossed Kurogane a spike fruit, which he had completely peeled. "This is bad," Fai said, flicking the fruit's skin aside. The wizard nibbled at his own peeled fruit and plopped back onto the ground to resume his doodling. Kurogane shifted forward so that he could look at the doodles. Fai was also an artist, but Kurogane categorized those abilities under "jester" for obvious reasons. The doodles were always silly, although they did serve as a useful teaching aid and a way to pass the time in the evening around the campfire.

"What's this?" Fai pointed to a sketch of a scowling black dog with a headband who was stalking a quivering bunny. Kurogane magnanimously chose to ignore the hated "Big Puppy" avatar for now; Fai had just bandaged his foot and that was good for about an hour of tolerance. Maybe forty minutes if Fai were particularly annoying. "Hunting," Kurogane replied, taking the stick from Fai and sketching the kanji in the dirt. "Hunting," Fai repeated carefully as he traced over the kanji, his dark eyes intent.

Every now and then, Kurogane quizzed Fai on his ability to recall kanji and was consistently surprised at his ability to reproduce them well. But perhaps that ability was not too surprising, Kurogane thought, recalling the intricate tattoo the Space Time Bitch had extracted from Fai's back as payment. He wondered if Fai had designed it himself. If Fai messed around with crazy looking symbols like that in Celes, then kanji (which actually followed a logical order) should be child's play.

Next Fai sketched the image of a small cat in the dirt. Kurogane recognized it as Sakura's avatar --"Little Kitty" -- but Fai already knew how to write and pronounce the names of all the members of their scattered party. Fai added a crown to the kitty's head. "Ah, you mean 'princess'," Kurogane said. He drew the kanji in the dirt and pronounced the word a few times.

_Princess..._ He'd been successfully keeping thoughts of Tomoyo out of his mind ever since he and Fai landed in this world; it was easier since Sakura wasn't around. The black sky was full of thousands of stars tonight, and he wondered if she were outside the palace reading the stars' paths tonight. If it were night in Japan. If she hadn't been assassinated. If they hadn't entered some weird time warp and Tomoyo weren't one hundred years old. _Damn Tomoyo._ Kurogane wondered if Tomoyo thought of him. They had in been this country for at least two-and-a-half months: what if months stretched into years? Would Tomoyo still think of him or would she gradually forget him a little each day until he was a faded memory, a caricature of a man – just a grumpy ninja she'd once had who wouldn't obey like her old, faithful ninja Souma?

Kurogane suddenly grinned wolfishly, and not just at the thought of Souma as an old hag. He wouldn't _let_ Tomoyo forget. Tomoyo had said she wanted him to learn the meaning of true strength, but Kurogane doubted that she would or could automatically grant him a special one-way-ticket back home whenever he figured out whatever the hell that meant. She had sent him on the journey, but the path home would be forged by him. So he'd continue fighting through all these weird worlds until the day he showed up in her court - on his own terms, _without_ having learned her stupid lesson, as unrepentant and bad and unlike Souma as possible. It would be even better if he could get someone else to remove the curse for him. Maybe he should teach Fai the words for "curse" and "remove" and "or else." Fai owed him anyway for the language lessons.

"What's this?" Fai interrupted his happy reverie, pointing at a sketch of two stick figures who lay on top of each other. Kurogane tilted his head quizzically. "Wrestling? No... that's not the right position. That's—wait a minute! I'm not teaching you the word for _fucking_!" Kurogane roared as he jumped up. He could feel his face turning red, which only embarrassed him further. "Fuck-ing," Fai chirped cheerfully, his eyes glimmering with mischievousness.

"You idiot. You don't need to know fu—that word." Kurogane waved angrily at the barren expanse around them. "There's no one here except for the damn fire-breathing bunnies!"

"There's _Kuro-bun-bun_," Fai countered smugly, sizing him up with an appraising eye as he propped his chin up with a hand. His slim legs waved behind him as if he were a pleased child.

"You damn tease," growled Kurogane. "And it's _Kurogane_. Kurogane, who will be not be teaching you anymore lessons tonight." He stomped off to the overhang, Fai's light laughter following his retreat.

Fai had used up his hour of tolerance in record time, Kurogane reflected sourly as he tried to get comfortable against the cold rock. He did not want to think about Fai or fucking or Fai and fucking or Tomoyo and never getting home or Tomoyo and getting home. He hoped for dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Author Notes: **

Thank you so much for your comments. It definitely inspires me to write when I'm tired or busy... okay, it doesn't hurt that I'd rather be writing than doing most other things. Heh.

I responded to the reviews for the last chapter via private messages to those who have accounts.

Toshiisdead: Glad you liked the last line! I just got lucky and inspired. I couldn't think of a good ending line this time... it's a little sad (I guess Kuro-muu's in a bad mood.)

The Kiowana Native Americans used boiled yellow-spined thistle blossoms as a treatment for burns. How does Fai know about this? He's not telling, the coy fellow.


	3. Lesson III: High Society

**Lesson III:** High Society (No. 3 of ? )

**Pairing:** KuroFai

**Disclaimer:** These two were hatched from the collective brain of CLAMP. Not mine.

**Spoilers:** I don't think so, but it is set during the Shurano arc. I intend to write a few short stories based on the adventures of Kurogane and Fai in Yasha territory, with a focus on the language barrier because I love teaching, languages, and cross-cultural confusion. Yummy.

**Rating PG-16:** For all the stories as a whole (language, some violence... possible "adult situations." Oh ho ho.

**Word Count: **1731

* * *

Kurogane cast a suspicious eye on Fai as they trudged through a meadow that ran alongside the stream. The wizard hadn't bothered to use his deceitfully earned vocabulary word since the night he had bandaged Kurogane's foot, so either Fai had 1.) realized that he had seriously irritated his teacher or 2.) he was simply waiting for a highly inappropriate time to ambush Kurogane with it. Kurogane highly suspected the latter since Fai possessed a superhuman ability to know exactly the most improper thing to say in a tense situation. This ability added to his complete lack of inhibition had probably made him a really charming dinner guest in Celes, especially if his host had made the mistake of offering him alcohol.

The ninja frowned sourly and wondered if it were possible that the "Ashura" Fai was running from was actually a really pissed-off hostess. It would certainly explain Fai's sheer terror at the thought of being captured: even Kurogane knew better than to cross a high-society lady.

Thinking of high society reminded Kurogane that Tomoyo had forced him to learn proper manners, protocol, and speech for receiving and hosting high-status visitors in her court. Not that Kurogane had ever met anyone _worthy_ enough to bother trotting out his shiny special manners, but he _could _and that was what counted. His errant pupil, on the other hand, was not prepared to handle the intricacies of court culture with all its fine levels of rank and status-loaded gestures and tones. Kurogane made the generous assumption that the Space Time Bitch would keep her end of the deal, which meant they would land in his Japan sooner or later. As Fai's Japanese teacher, Kurogane would of course be responsible to insure that Fai at least _knew_ the proper way to behave. Otherwise, the damn wizard would probably manage to mortally offend at least five powerful people before they even reached Tomoyo's court.

The mental image was enough to make even a battle-hardened ninja shudder.

"Is Kuro-puu cold?" Fai poked him in the arm, his expression mirthful.

"No!" barked Kurogane, jerking his arm back. "And you should be paying attention to our surroundings, not looking at me." Earlier he'd pointed out a trail of hoof prints to Fai: although prints were grassy and probably several weeks old, it meant they were drawing quite close to civilization. The stream was thick enough now that trees grew alongside its banks, and the soil fertile enough for agriculture. It was only a matter of time before they ran across people, and Kurogane doubted that they would receive a warm reception due to their suspicious appearance. Fai's haori had one impractically long sleeve left and it was full of holes from getting snagged in brambles; the other had been torn off for the bandage. Its color was no longer obnoxiously white, having long resigned itself to a sad shade of gray, although Fai still insisted on washing it regularly. Naturally, Kurogane had chosen a more practical black set of clothes from their Sharano host, but thanks to the constant battles with his arch-enemies - the bunnies from hell - he looked like he'd tangled with an angry dragon and lost. Both of them also had a liberal smattering of scratches and insect bite marks, and the acrid smell of campfire clung stubbornly to their skin and clothes.

_Still... _Kurogane's hand slid to Souhi, which rested reassuringly on his left hip and he grinned in anticipation. It wouldn't be a _complete_ loss if they didn't receive a warm reception.

"Kuro-pippi's thinking of something bad, isn't he? He looks happy."

The ninja glared at the wizard, who cheerfully smiled at him as if earning a glare were the highlight of his day. "Yeah, I'm thinking about how I'm going to enjoy pounding some manners into you. First off, you have to learn the proper way to address people – which excludes your damn nicknames. I'm going to teach you Japanese honorifics, too."

Fai raised his eyebrows. "Ho-no-riffi-hicks?"

Kurogane let out a hiss of air. This was not going to be easy.

* * *

"Okay, I'm Princess Tomoyo now. How do you greet me?"

Fai bowed gracefully and deeply to "Princess Tomoyo," his back inclined at the proper forty-five degree angle as per Kurogane's instructions. "I am pleased to meet you, Your Highness. Please regard me favorably."

Kurogane bowed slightly. "We welcome you to our humble court as our honored guest." Kurogane then tossed in a few other stock phrases Tomoyo usually used as he eyed Fai warily and resisted the urge to hide his hands behind his back, out of Fai's grasp. The first time Kurogane had practiced introductions with Fai, he'd learned far more than he wanted to about the perverted customs of Fai's country. Apparently in Celes, it was entirely appropriate for men to kiss the hands of women they'd just been introduced to, so Fai had decided it was fine for him to kiss Kurogane/Princess Tomoyo. Kurogane/Princess Tomoyo was displeased and had let loose a few choice words that were rather uncourtly.

Still, Fai had gotten off rather easily: in Japan, if anyone had ever dared to try to kiss the real Princess Tomoyo's hand, Kurogane would have chopped the offender's hand off for display on the castle gates.

The ninja straightened up. "It's okay for you to stand up after I do." He pushed against Fai's shoulder lightly so that Fai would understand. Then Kurogane frowned as he tried to recall some standard Royal Court small talk to teach the wizard. Although he'd often stood close to Tomoyo while she entertained or negotiated with visitors, the ninja frequently tuned out the idle chatter in order to preserve his sanity. The antics of Daimyo Hachisuka's favorite dog or the accomplishments of Ambassador Pandari Bai's charming children were not nearly as amusing to him as glowering at their retinues and imagining what plots they might be hatching against Tomoyo.

"Your eyes are sunset," Fai said, apparently deciding the pause was his cue to add a remark.

"Tomoyo's eyes aren't red, idiot," Kurogane replied automatically before wondering if this were an example of Fai's language substitution. The wizard wasn't afraid to experiment or otherwise abuse the Japanese language, and sometimes he would substitute words to try to convey his meaning. The general consensus was that sunsets were "pretty;" perhaps Fai was trying to flatter "Princess Tomoyo" by complimenting her eyes.

Fai merely stared at Kurogane, an undecipherable expression on his face, and Kurogane suddenly got the impression that Fai wasn't talking about Tomoyo. Kurogane's real eyes _were _ red, not black, so he supposed it wasn't a stretch to compare them to a sunset. Maybe Fai just wanted to let him know that he hadn't forgotten that they didn't really belong in this world where their eyes weren't even the right color, and they were still on a mission to track down Sakura's feathers, return home, or keep running away from home. "You're supposed to let Princess Tomoyo lead the conversation," Kurogane muttered. "And no, I haven't forgotten that we don't belong here." He gestured at his eyes and then Fai's to get his point across.

The wizard shook his head and stepped closer. "No, I mean..."

Kurogane felt his pulse suddenly quicken. On those rare occasions Fai's tone grew serious, he always said something important as opposed to his usual meaningless drivel. Secretly, Kurogane welcomed those moments as opportunities to add the scant intelligence he had on the wizard; it was hardly wise to know so little about one's ally. But now there was tension in the ninja's stomach, and a large part of him actually wished Fai would revert to his idiotic facade. That Fai was easier to brush off or ignore.

"...Kuro-sei, what's that?"

Kurogane swirled around and looked in the direction Fai was pointing. Small clouds of dust were floating near the edge of the horizon. If he squinted, he could perceive the shapes of a small party of men, probably six or seven judging from the amount of dust being kicked up. They had to be riding some sort of animals to be moving so fast. Kurogane swore quietly. There was nowhere for Fai and him to hide; the few trees near the stream were too scraggly to conceal them. The ninja knew he had far better eyesight than most, but it was only a matter of time before the party spotted them on the flat plain.

Kurogane was not worried about being able to deal with a small, armed party: he liked long swords partially because they came in handy for knocking people off horses, but the coordinated movements of the party as it rode across the plain suggested military. If that were the case, then it was almost certainly a scouting party. A scouting party meant an army not far behind, and Kurogane had never destroyed an entire army by himself even on his best day. Maybe with a little help it was feasible...

Kurogane glanced at Fai out of the corner of his eye, wondering if Fai would deign to break out some magical ass-kicking skills. Probably not, the man was damn stubborn. Still, it would be shameful for Fai to go down without some sort of struggle if it came to that. Fai was competent with a staff, but there weren't any sticks about. Perhaps he should hand the ex-wizard a handful of rocks so at least Fai could cause a disturbance in a fight: instead of Fai's "last stand," it would be Fai's "last annoyance." A day to be remembered in infamy, no doubt.

"Do you know what that is?" Kurogane said gruffly, jerking a thumb towards the clouds of dust.

Fai grinned wickedly and waved as if welcoming the party. "Yes, practice! Hello, please regard us favorably!"

Kurogane suppressed a sudden grin at Fai's twisted sense of humor. Stupid wizard. "How about 'hell no.' You shut up and let me do the talking." Fai nodded, and they fell into silence as they waited for the party to reach them.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** does anyone know the proper name for the clothing that Fai and Kurogane receive in Shara/Sharano Country? I did a bit of digging but didn't find information.

If Fai's vocabulary seems a little advanced... well, in this story, he and Kurogane have been wandering together for about two months. There's not much to do so Fai gets **a lot** of language lessons compared to the average language student. Plus Fai's pretty clever.

I had intended for this section to actually cover the meeting-of-Yasha's-army, but I ended up spending more time of Fai & Kurogane. I'm not sure where that little bit about Fai trying to tell Kuro-muu Something Important came from... does it work okay?

Darn, hadn't realized it's almost been a month since the last installment of this. o.O These are actually not so easy to write. Humor's tricky. I think I might try to finish the last chapter of Child of Celes before I write another installment. A little blood & gore to balance out the snark... oh wait, there's about to be some fighting in this too. Ehehehe.

Thanks for reading! Comments, criticism, praise, etc. are all welcome. I enjoy reading your feedback... I think I'm behind in responding to feedback, though. :sweatdrops: I'll catch up, I swear!


	4. Lesson IV: Interactions

Quick note: There is a difference between the Ashura on Shurano and the one in Celes. They have a different appearance (although Fai's Ashura is actually the father of Shurano's Ashura in the series RG Veda.) However, in the Shurano arc in the manga, Fai doesn't know they are different "Ashuras" at first. He just recognizes the name.

* * *

**Lost In Translation: Lesson IV **(Interactions)

Kurogane resisted the urge to unsheathe Souhi as the scouting party advanced. The six men were garbed in a strange, thick armour which suggested they were accustomed to heavy battle, and they were all riding _dragons, _no less. The beasts' height gave the riders a definite advantage, and their hides were also thick and scaley – no doubt harder to pierce than horseflesh, which any respectable samurai or ninja would choose over a damn reptile. Strapped to the saddle of each dragon was an assortment of weapons (some familiar, some strange, all undoubtedly unpleasant to be on the receiving end of): this was definitely a well-equipped scouting party. Perhaps over-equipped, certainly the party would move more quickly on lighter mounts and with less equipment. Kurogane frowned, wondering what sort of opponent would necessitate such outfitting for scouts.

As the party drew closer, Kurogane sensed Fai tense as well. Although the mage always tightly suppressed his magic, Kurogane could still detect it jitter and fluctuate when Fai was startled or upset, such as now. The ninja scowled bitterly – not that all that magic would do them any good. When the party was about eighty meters from them, it split into two columns and formed a wide circle around them. Steadily, the party tightened the circle. They weren't intending to allow an easy escape, not that he and Fai had anywhere to retreat to regardless. There were less than fifty meters between the party and them when the riders halted. One of the riders dismounted, then thrust out one empty palm towards them and strode forwards.

Kurogane instantly recognized both the gesture and the commanding bearing of the man, and he forced himself to drop his hand from Souhi's handle. The leader's face was criss-crossed with scars, and his armour heavily gashed although well-maintained. _Combat veteran, _decided Kurogane.

The leader halted about two paces in front of them. He locked eyes with Kurogane, staring intently for several seconds, and Kurogane realized that the man's eyes had the exactly same inky color that he and Fai now had. Almost imperceptibly, the leader relaxed slightly and then said: "Speak, stranger. Where doest thou hearken from, and why doest thou wander these plains?"

The man's speech was heavily accented and formal, but it was unmistakably Japanese. Kurogane jerked his thumb in the direction he and Fai had come from. "West. I got bored." It was mostly true; he had grown bored with the quality of his opponents and got a little rough, and Tomoyo-hime had sent him flying to the damn Space Time Bitch.

"Thou hast not the appearance of a plainsman, and thou hast no mounts," said the leader suspiciously, eyeing Souhi.

Kurogane shrugged. "I'm not, and our mounts died."

"Then why didst thou leave thy clan? Are thou a traitor or coward?"

The hairs on Kurogane's neck bristled and he felt a vein start to throb in his forehead. "I'm no damn traitor, and I'll kill any man who calls me a coward to my face," Kurogane snarled, glaring at the leader to make sure he knew that he was damn lucky that Kurogane had decided not to consider the question a direct insult.

The leader let out a short, rough laugh as if he were satisfied with the answer. "Thou, I can almost believe. Thou hast not the temperament to lie well. But this one – thou cannot expect me to believe that he comes from the same clan as thou."

_Ah shit._ Kurogane had suspected Fai's coloring would cause problems as soon as he had noticed that every member of the scouting party had tanned skin and dark hair. With his luck, these men were probably engaged in an eternal blood feud with the Tribe of Blond Frilly Coat-Wearing Men. "He's not," Kurogane replied. "I found him when I was wandering across the plain, and I needed someone for shift watch – because of the bunnies."

The man nodded solemnly as he pondered Kurogane's answer. "The demon-bunnies are well-known to us. But doest this man not speak? He hast uttered nary a word."

"He speaks only a little of our language, and a whole lot of gibberish." Kurogane tapped his head. "Probably dropped on his head at some point." That was true as far as Kurogane knew, actually; it certainly would explain a lot.

The leader furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "Perhaps... yet he hast neither the build or look of a warrior, and his hands havest never known the toil of the plow." He moved closer to Fai, staring at his face. Fai said nothing but continued to smile vacantly.

With a start, Kurogane realized that the leader was trying to check the color of Fai's eyes, but Fai's hair was obscuring his eyes.

"Who," said the leader slowly, formal speech dropped, "would suspect an idiot weakling of being a spy... for the clan of Ashura?"

A knot tightened in Kurogane's stomach as he remembered how pale Fai's face had grown on Sharano when Ashura's name had been mentioned. If Fai had a similar reaction again, surely the leader would take that as a sign of Fai's guilt.

Suddenly, the leader's hand whipped out and he grabbed Fai under the chin, jerking Fai's face upwards. "Speak, spy," he demanded harshly.

A hot rush of blood flooded through Kurogane's body, and he growled. Fai _was_ an idiot, but he was _his_ idiot ally for now, and this ass wasn't going to manhandle him, damn the negotiations. Kurogane started for the leader, intending to strike him in the back.

Then Kurogane got a look at Fai's expression and froze. The smile remained on the mage's face, but his eyes glittered like black ice: sharp and dark and dangerous. The message was unmistakable: _I've killed better men than you. _A chill ran down Kurogane's spine: he had never seen Fai with such a look of hostility. Despite what his instincts had warned him about Fai from the start, it was easy for Kurogane to forget how dangerous the man was really was when he acted like such a fool all the time. But perhaps that was Fai's intent.

"No Ashura," Fai said clearly, his voice cold and low.

The leader blinked in surprise, then huffed and released Fai's face. "I suppose I was mistaken," he said, arching one eyebrow as he turned around and headed back to his mount. "I will discuss thy trespass with Yasha-sama," the leader called loudly as he saddled up, "and perhaps our most honored leader will be benevolent and allow thou to demonstrate your remorse by swearing thy fealty to him. If not, thou will be executed at next daybreak."

The leader had said that last part far too cheerfully. "It'll be your funeral, asshole," Kurogane muttered under his breath.

"Bad words, Kuro-myon," Fai tittered in his ear, apparently now back in Happy Mode again.

"Be quiet," Kurogane said, watching intently as the leader rode off with one of the scouts so he could scamper back to Yam-yash or whatever and squeal on them. Well, they didn't have a damn thing to apologize for; Kurogane had been keeping an eye out for boundary markers and had seen none anywhere. Yes, he himself had killed people for trespassing in Shiragashi Castle before, but the boundary wall was properly marked with the clothing and trinkets of previous trespassers (Tomoyo-hime adamantly refused to let him use body parts even though that would have been more effective.)

The remaining four scouts rode up to them. "We're to take you back to camp for now. You can ride with us," announced the one with brown braided hair, and he dismounted. He extended his hand to Kurogane, a smile on his face. "I'm Gion; what's your name?"

Kurogane glared at Gion, suspiciously examining the extended hand and the scimitar strapped to Gion's back. He wondered if the people in Gion's country kissed hands like the Celesians and decided it wasn't worth the risk to find out. "Kurogane," he said, pointedly crossing his arms. "And you don't speak like your leader."

Disappointment flickered in Gion's eyes but he kept the overly-eager smile on his face. "Heh, well, Hakata likes to follow protocol whenever we meet new people, especially since it doesn't happen very often. Anyway, welcome to Shurano!"

"Thank you," said Fai, who had decided to butt in when he recognized that phrase from their training. He lowered his eyelashes and flashed Gion a smile full of teeth, the one Kurogane had noticed Fai favored whenever he was trying to charm new acquaintances.

"You're welcome," said Gion, a flush spreading across his face, and he ducked his head shyly. "Your woman is quite beautiful," he said to Kurogane. "But--" he said, tutting his tongue as he flicked his eyes across Fai's torn clothing, "--you really should take better care of her. She's all scratched up. You shouldn't drag a delicate lady across the Forbidden Desert!"

He was going to _kill _him. No, _first_ Gion, _then_ Fai, who was now shaking with silent laughter beside him. And then maybe the rest of the scouts too, who were staring at Fai as if they hadn't seen anything that resembled a woman in six months. The blood started to pound in Kurogane's temples as he imagined the consequences of bringing an audience-starved Fai into a camp full of bored soldiers. Fai now spoke just enough Japanese to get himself into trouble, and then there was the matter of Fai's body language: the man draped his overly long limbs all over everything and everyone as if he were a boneless, contented cat. Kurogane found his posture sloppy, but some lonely, desperate soldiers would probably find it sensuous. He'd better set things straight here and now: "Fai. Is. **Not**. My. Woman. He. Is. A. **Man**. A _Very_ Annoying Insane Man."

The flush on Gion's face deepened and he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Ohh, that's okay. Our clan doesn't have any rules against that sort of thing – is that why you two left? You were forced to elope and run away?"

Thoroughly vexed, Kurogane let the breath hiss from between his teeth. "No! Didn't you hear the conversation between your leader and me?" Gion shook his head. It figured "Never mind. Just take us to your camp, okay?"

"Okay!" Gion moved towards his dragon and gestured to Fai. "You can ride with me, okay?"

_Like hell._ "No, we'll ride together," insisted Kurogane, even though he hadn't quite figured out the logistics of riding a dragon-monster. It was probably just a matter of hitting the beast in the right place, and he didn't like the idea of them being separated – the scouts could easily just ride off to different camps with them and sell Fai into slavery or to the circus or something. That would be rather difficult to explain to the brat and the princess.

"Sorry, but we can't allow that," said Gion with an apologetic tone. "You haven't been approved by Yasha-sama yet, and these beasts are rather temperamental as well. I hope you understand and won't make this difficult. Really, I shouldn't let you keep your sword either, but I'll trust that you'll act honorably."

Gion was not as dull as Kurogane had thought: of course Kurogane wouldn't use his sword if Gion had his unarmed companion as a hostage. Kurogane caught Fai's eyes and Fai shrugged as if to say– _there's really nothing we can do about it –_ and then swung himself up behind Gion on the dragon.

Kurogane frowned but accepted a position on one of the other scout's mounts. As the beasts began to gallop across the desert, Kurogane found himself almost wishing that they hadn't been found. He'd finally grown inured to Fai's particular brand of teasing (mostly) and now he had to deal with the annoyances of other people who currently had the advantage over him. But he consoled himself with the thought that he was reasonably sure he could take on enough of these soldiers to escape with Fai, should circumstances make it necessary. Perhaps there was even a feather involved – in which case they could steal the feather, and then just hide out in the desert and wait for the manjuu-bun to finally get its act together and find them.

Whenever that might be.

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A/N:

I don't think this chapter was as funny as previous ones – it's a bit more serious since the dynamic duo is finally meeting Yasha's men. And Kurogane set a personal record for number of times annoyed. Let me know if anything didn't work. I'll try to focus more on the language element in the next one.

I reviewed the Shurano chapitres and we actually aren't shown a decent image of Yasha's men. However, all of Ashura's men are portrayed as having light hair and complexions and non-black eyes. So since we know that Yasha's clan all has black eyes, then they probably have dark hair and complexions which would complete the dichotomy.

Warrior/farmer: in a clan constantly at war with another, I figure that there probably two main professions: warrior and farmer. Fai doesn't quite look like he belongs in either class which raises the leader's suspicions. I don't think there are magicians in Shurano either – the only person who does magical acts is Ashura, and he's not quite human so he doesn't count.

FYI: This isn't going to be a "Fai sleeps with everyone in camp" or "Fai is a maiden in distress whom Kurogane must rescue!" story (not to knock those type of plots, some are quite well-written, but I personally don't view Fai's character that way.) However, Kurogane is a little strike jealous /strike concerned so his perception is skewed.


	5. Lesson V: Diplomacy

**Lost in Translation  
Lesson V: **Diplomacy (No. 5 of ?)  
**Pairing:** KuroFai  
**Disclaimer:** These two were hatched from the collective brain of CLAMP. Not mine.  
**Spoilers:** I don't think so, but it is set during the Shurano arc. I'm writing a few short stories based on the adventures of Kurogane and Fai in Yasha territory, with a focus on the language barrier because I love teaching, languages, and cross-cultural confusion. Yummy.  
**Rating PG-16:** For all the stories as a whole (language, some violence... and possible "adult situations." Oh ho ho.)  
**Word Count:** 3217  
**Notes:** A hearty thanks to takadainmate for her hard work in betaing this. It definitely flows better now.

After about two hours of hard riding with the scouts, Kurogane spotted tendrils of smoke curling into the air, too many in number to belong to anything other than a settlement. Kurogane furrowed his brow in concentration as he tried to calculate how many cook fires the smoke represented and thus the number of fighting men in the camp – well over a hundred. He was glad he had taken time to sharpen Souhi with a makeshift wetting stone this morning. Also, the scout Kurogane was riding with had not spoken a word to him, so Kurogane had been free to examine the man's assortment of weaponry in peace.

As they drew close to the camp's entrance, the other three riders drew their beasts near the one Kurogane rode, and Kurogane heard Fai's light laughter mingling with the deeper laughs of Gion. Kurogane rolled his eyes in disgust; obviously, Fai had found a far less useful means of occupying himself during the ride. Didn't the idiot mage realize that Mr. Girly Hair might be the very one who would be trying to lop off their heads if Yasmashy felt cranky today? Apparently Fai had determined to make up for his earlier restraint by chattering his head off with the enemy, and even worse, Fai's arms were unnecessarily wrapped around Gion's waist and he was leaning into the man's back. If Fai possessed even a shred of pride, he _could_ have just grabbed the back ends of the saddle for balance like _he_ was doing – it wasn't the most convenient way to ride on an animal with such a large, loping gait, but there was no way in hell he was going to put his arms around another man, especially one who smelled like this guy did. Kurogane hoped desperately that Odor Man's smell was simply his own personal disgusting preference and did not reflect a lack of bathing facilities in the camp. Being the greatest warrior in Japan had never meant that Kurogane did not take care to keep his body clean and in optimal fighting condition – there was a difference between being tough and being unsanitary. Princess Tomoyo had always taken care to make certain the bathing facilities at Shiragashi Castle were well-maintained, although she took things to the extreme as was her custom (Kurogane had tossed the floral-scented soaps she perversely provided into the trash: a ninja should _not_ smell like a flower.)

By the time they reached the camp, there were already about fifty men gathered at the entrance, waiting with an expectant air; obviously, that jerk of a leader - Hackish – had arrived first and alerted the camp to their arrival.

A few of the men wore armour, but most were clad only in a black shirt and pants. No one was brandishing a weapon just yet, which Kurogane decided to interpret as a positive sign for himself and Fai. Kurogane flicked his eyes over their bodies quickly: they appeared fit, well-nourished and reasonably alert. And Kurogane couldn't smell any of them from his mount so apparently Odor Man was the exception. So Yashamal was at least partially competent as a leader.

Initial examination complete, Kurogane now took the time to analyze the faces peering up at him. Some, the younger men in particular, chattered to each other in excited tones, while others maintained their silence and kept carefully neutral expressions, as if reserving judgment. A few, however, met his gaze with open hostility, and Kurogane overheard a few rather unflattering remarks and was reminded of when he'd first started service as Tomoyo's ninja. Many of Tomoyo's guard had resented him from his first day because he was the youngest ninja to ever be employed as one of her bodyguards. They also resented that Tomoyo had personally attended his injuries and had even ordered that a fine sword be forged for him. Eventually, Kurogane had been able to win the respect of most of the ninja, who were fair-minded, but there were a few who had always nourished a grudge against him. Kurogane had initially thought their grudge was due to his age and that it would subside as he grew into adulthood, but the opposite happened: their grudge only intensified. Now, Kurogane had come to accept that there would always be some men who would automatically hate him from first sight simply because of his size and strength.

_Not_ that he cared one bit if others chose to be cowards. With a predatory smirk, Kurogane filed the hostile faces into his memory. He'd probably need to deal with them later the same way he'd dealt with those idiot ninja in Japan: by beating the shit out of them. If he and Fai were accepted into this army, it would be simple enough to teach them a lesson or two under the pretense of sparring practice. Kurogane felt a twinge of nostalgia creep over him as he thought of his Japan: he _loved_ sparring practice, but he'd gotten very little of it during his travels. Syaoran was still just a fledging swordsman who hadn't tapped into his true talent yet, and the manjuu bun and the princess were definitely out of the question as sparring partners. It was Kurogane's luck that the only traveling companion who would probably make a decent partner preferred verbal sparring over physical sparring and lazing around over hard work. Kurogane's fingers flexed in anticipation, and he thought that maybe doing a stint in an army wouldn't be so bad... as long as there was a bath. One without scented soap.

"Who is **_that_**?"

Abruptly, the topic of the soldiers' conversations shifted as they noticed the presence of a certain idiot mage. Kurogane was glad they'd stopped their damn staring and whispering at him until he caught snatches of exactly _what_ they were saying about Fai.

"Maybe it's an ambassador from the Tribe of Blond Men Who Wear Strange Clothes – he is riding with an officer, after all." "You _know_ that tribe's just a child's story, dumbass."

"One of Ashura's spies?" "No, then he'd be tied up or dead."

"Is he a man or he—er, she-- a woman?" "Personally, I don't care. I'd hit _that_."

Kurogane shot Fai a meaningful look – _you'd better behave_ – but Fai did not see it. His eyes were downcast, and he was biting his lower lip. Fai had finally removed his leech-like arms from Gion, but he was still sitting quite close to the man, almost as if he wanted to hide behind the scout. This was decidedly odd. Usually Fai practically _sparkled_ when he was presented with a brand-new audience.

Upon Gion's order, they dismounted the dragon-beasts and handed the reins off to a few of the waiting soldiers. Gion nodded at the waiting soldiers and cleared his throat. "Men, we have two guests today, from some of Yasha-sama's farthest Western tribes. They've had a long journey, so please treat them kindly."

"Is it true that these two will be joining our division?" asked one soldier.

Gion hesitated. "Well – Captain Hakata is probably speaking with Yasha-sama about that now. Regardless, these men have been invited here as guests."

Kurogane rolled his eyes and shifted impatiently as Gion fielded questions from several other soldiers. Obviously, Girl's Hair was some sort of officer, but he did not understand that the most efficient way to handle men was to simply _tell _them what to do, not to explain himself or answer questions.

"That one doesn't look like a soldier. He looks like a damn camp whore."

Kurogane snapped to attention. Some disgruntled-looking asshole was pointing a finger at Fai angrily.

"It's dangerous enough fighting Ashura's army without having to worry about some floozy screwing things up!"

Gion's eyebrows shot up in anger. "That's enough, Bakana! If you have concerns, you should bring them up with me privately."

Kurogane exhaled sharply as the two men continued bickering. He flexed his fingers until the bones popped, his desire to cut something or _someone_ rising quickly. That bastard, daring to call Fai – his ally - a _whore_ in front of everyone else. Fai was staring at the asshole blankly, but Kurogane knew Fai had understood what the man meant from the context, even though Kurogane certainly hadn't taught the mage the phrase "camp whore." Fai didn't deserve to be called such a vile thing. During their travels, Fai had often flirted with men and women alike, but it was obvious to any half-witted bystander that his flirting was no more than a harmless game. He wasn't actually promising anyone anything, and Kurogane had never even seen the mage as so much try to brush fingers with anyone in a seductive manner, except for himself, of course (Fai seemed to be on a special mission to grope every part of his body.) But right now Fai was downright subdued; he wasn't even smiling. And his posture, for once, was straight and proper; he wasn't doing that lean-y slant stand and making silly gestures.

Kurogane scowled at Gion, wondering why he didn't settle the argument quickly by clobbering Bakayaro upside the head; it was obvious to him that Gion was much stronger. Then Kurogane realized that because Gion was the ass's superior, Gion couldn't simply attack the man for a mere insult to a stranger with a dubious status in the camp. A fight between an officer and an underling always left a bad taste in everyone's mouth, whereas it was perfectly acceptable for men of equal status to settle their differences the time-honored way. Bakayaro was taking advantage of that to spread his poison. _Screw that. _Kurogane popped Souhi up from its sheath with his thumb; that guy was also carrying a sword and that made _them_ equals. Dumbass probably hadn't factored _that _in.

"Big words are nothing," said Fai.

Kurogane froze in the middle of unsheathing Souhi. Fai had spoken quietly, but there was an unmistakable challenge in the false smile now on his lips and the firm set of his shoulders. _Fai had just **challenged** another man to a fight._ The very same idiot mage who was always going out of his way to avoid even verbal conflict, who didn't possess a scrap of shame about unabashedly dumping all the dirty work onto him and the brat. The last time Fai had offered to fight had been against that silly girl Primmy in the Hanshin Republic, although she'd capitulated easily enough once Fai had cradled her head in his hands and whispered some sort of nonsense into her ears. Surely Fai knew that this battle couldn't end as cutely.

A thick tension hung over the camp as Fai's words sank in. Then Bakayano flushed a beet red and lunged towards the mage. Fai met Kurogane's eyes for just a second, and Kurogane was startled by the dull look of resignation in the mage's eyes that contrasted sharply with the smile on his face. He wondered if Fai had known he was drawing Souhi.

Then Fai disappeared. Or rather, Bakayamo arrived at the spot where Fai had been, and Fai simply was not there. Bakayamo whirled around fiercely and spotted Fai waving at him vigorously from about ten meters away, that expression of deceptive cheer still on his face. Again, Bakayamo lunged towards Fai – this time Fai simply leapt over his head as if he regularly ignored the rules of gravity.

Kurogane snorted to himself as Fai began to weave gracefully in and out of the crowd of soldiers, leaping and twisting and cartwheeling away from the enraged soldier; the mage was behaving as if he were engaged in a game of chase rather than a serious challenge. But Fai was demonstrating his physical endurance rather effectively: he looked like he could continue his little game all day, whereas his opponent was already starting to breathe heavily.

Suddenly, Fai halted and swept out a leg in a hooking motion, and Bakamo tripped over it and thudded onto the earth hard. Then, in a motion so swift that Kurogane could barely follow it, Fai sprung towards the man and unsheathed his sword. Fai held the stolen sword against the hollow of the man's throat, and Kurogane thought of Outo Country.

Fai stared silently at the soldier for a long moment, metal pressed against flesh. He was _still_ smiling, and Kurogane felt vaguely unsettled that Fai could maintain that expression in such a situation.

Finally, Fai lowered the sword and let it fall to the ground with a clatter. He turned his back to the soldier and walked away slowly, not bothering to glance over his shoulder. Kurogane thought Fai's message was quite clear:_ you're no match for me._

"Obviously, this man is indeed a warrior, Bakana," Gion said tersely, and most of the men nodded in agreement. Kurogane noted a few smiles here and there; apparently, Bakeyass wasn't too popular. "Now that we've greeted our _guests_ properly, everyone return to what he was doing. **Now." **

The men promptly scattered. Bakayano stood up silently, head bowed. His expression suggested that he wanted to crawl under a rock and die, although he still found enough spirit to shoot Fai a particularly venomous look before he disappeared into the maze of tents. Kurogane curled his upper lip into a sneer. He'd be waiting eagerly for that imbecile to try and pull another stupid stunt, and he certainly wasn't going to let the idiot off as easily as Fai had.

"I'm terribly sorry about this, Fai-san, Kurogane-san," Mr. Braids said, twisting his hands together. "I've only recently been appointed to this position, and a few of our troublemakers resent me for it. If you had been escorted by one of my seniors, perhaps you wouldn't have had to deal with this."

Fai shook his head. "You don't be sorry."

"What happened to your predecessor?" Kurogane asked.

Gion gave him a puzzled look as if he couldn't fathom why Kurogane would ask such a question. "Well, he was killed in battle. It was an honorable death, of course."

"Huh." Kurogane grunted, wondering if death was the usual reason for promotion in this army and why they were so eager to press complete strangers into their service.

"You two must be tired from your journey. I'll show you where you can freshen up and where your tent is."

"...tent as in _one_ tent?" demanded Kurogane.

"Yes, of course! I arranged it that way since I thought that you two would adjust better if you shared the same quarters, especially since you're such good friends. Don't worry, it wasn't a problem at all!"

Clueless. _Absolutely _clueless. Kurogane stared at Gion's now cheerful face, marveling at the odds that he'd found a grown man who not only wore his hair braided like a woman, but who was also about as clueless as the princess and the brat. He suspected it probably had something to do with the Space Time Bitch and her damn hitsuzen.

The tent Girl Hair had brought them to actually wasn't too bad, Kurogane admitted to himself as he wandered around the interior, poking at the ceiling and walls. Upon closer inspection, he'd realized that the material used for the tents was light enough to allow the breeze to penetrate, yet it was also water resistant: water beaded and rolled off the material, rather than soaking through. The tent was roomy, but if Fai got into one of his clingy moods, he would only have one escape route unless he hacked a hole through the tent. Kurogane cast a suspicious eye on Fai, but the mage was still behaving oddly. Usually Fai was the first to explore any new area with reckless abandon, but he remained standing in the tent's doorway with that resigned expression in his eyes. He'd barely even noticed the departure of his new best buddy, Mr. Dumb Hair (who'd had to leave to go report to Yashma about Fai's scuffle.)

Kurogane was irritated. The dumb mage ought to be satisfied: the fight had more or less settled things, for a while at least... and they'd been accepted as fighters, if not as allies yet. "So, did you actually learn anything useful from Girly Hair on the ride here?" Kurogane jutted his thumb in the direction the man had taken. He stretched his stiff neck side to side slowly, listening the bones pop and wincing. He'd have trouble getting comfortable tonight on the tent floor, no matter how many blankets and cushions he piled up. There was a good reason sane people didn't slap saddles on dragons.

A sly smile crept across Fai's face – a _real_ smile - and Kurogane, despite the warnings of his own very healthy sense of self-preservation, actually felt something akin to relief to see the return of a familiar expression.

"Kuro-rin-rin was unhappy! He wanted a ride with _me_," trilled Fai, clasping his hands together against his chin.

"No, idiot, I just didn't want you to blab all our secrets to that man."

"See-krits?" Fai fluttered his eyelashes as he slid closer to Kurogane, his fluid movements suggesting that he wasn't saddle-sore in the slightest.

"Not like that, idiot mage!" snarled Kurogane, backing away. But Fai continued advancing like a snake chasing down a mouse, until Kurogane was stuck against a tent corner, only a few inches separating them. Kurogane took no satisfaction in knowing that he'd been right to worry about the lack of escape routes. _Next lesson, I'm _definitely_ teaching that nut about personal space_, he vowed darkly.

"I'm a good student, Kuro-sei. I learned... new words."

Fai's voice was much lower and huskier than necessary, and Kurogane swallowed. Kurogane swore to himself that the lesson _after_ next would be appropriate and inappropriate tones, but he had the feeling that Fai already knew far more than he ought about tones. He wondered desperately if there were a lesson that had ever been taught (in any time, in any dimension) that could drill a sense of fair play into a morally suspect wizard.

"Gion-san said that Yasha is a good man. He will be good to us. And, I learned this"--Fai reached out and touched Kurogane's elbow--"is an elbow. And this"--now he was touching Kurogane's back--"is a waist. And this--"

It took about three full seconds for Kurogane to register that Fai was touching his _ass_. And another three to register that Fai must have been fondling Mr. Braid's _ass _earlier to learn the word. "THIS IS WHAT?" he roared, swatting away Fai's hand.

Fai laughed and laughed and pranced out of swinging range. "Fun?"

"YOU DAMN LIAR! GET BACK HERE!"

Notes: dang, each chapter is longer than the last. ;; And here I told myself upon starting out that I'd keep these chapters short so they wouldn't take so long to write. Le sigh.


	6. Lesson VI: Practice

**Title: **Lost in Translation.  
**Lesson VI:** Practice (No. 6 of ?)  
**Pairing:** KuroFai  
**Disclaimer:** These two were hatched from the collective brain of CLAMP. Not mine.  
**Spoilers:** I don't think so, but it is set during the Shurano/Yamano arc. I'm writing a few short stories based on the adventures of Kurogane and Fai in Yasha territory (aka "Yamano") with a focus on the language barrier.  
**Notes: **Should I apologize for the massive delay in updates? Or should I say I was busy with other stories, and my work hours are crazy?

* * *

Kurogane shot Fai a dark look as the idiot chattered happily with Gion, finding Fai's cheer gratingly perverse this early in the morning: they'd been roused awake by a chipper Girly Braids before the sun had even risen in order to receive a tour of the camp. A "tour" complete with an escort of two armed men who trailed close to his heels like sulky dogs, shooting him suspicious glances because he refused to leave Souhi behind in their tent (as if he'd go willingly anywhere without a weapon, especially in an _army _encampment.)

On top of the insult of an early tour, he'd spent half the night chasing the idiot around their tent. Fai just hadn't wanted to accept that "Kuro-puff" was _not _going to be his replacement manjuu bun-snuggle sleep toy, regardless of whether or not the evenings were chilly. When they'd toured the mess tent, Kurogane had thoughtfully eyed a stack of steaming pork buns and seriously considered pilfering one of them for Fai as a manjuu-bun substitute. Fai could cuddle with the bun, and if he got hungry during the night, he could just eat it. That made an edible pork bun an improvement over the real thing in Kurogane's opinion. Unless "emergency food supply" were one of Mokona's one-hundred-and-eight secret abilities.

Girl Hair nodded eagerly as Fai rambled on, although it was obvious he didn't understand more than one word in three. Occasionally, Gion would hesitantly venture guesses at what Fai was babbling about, and Fai would immediately seize upon the phrases like a hawk, mangling the words excitedly. Apparently the idiot's excitement was infectious: by the time they'd finished touring the bathing facilities, Woman Braids was gesturing almost as wildly as Fai and grinning broadly every time he communicated successfully with Fai.

Kurogane caught a few knowing glances exchanged between the escorts at their officer's obvious infatuation with the idiot. Personally, he found it irritating but bearable only if Fai had some ulterior motive in mind like pumping the officer for information. Kurogane had been monitoring soldiers' chatter as they wandered around the camp, alert for any mention of supernatural or unexplainable phenomena, but it would be too suspicious for him to make direct inquires about any feathers so soon especially since their status as "guests" hadn't been clarified. So far, he hadn't heard anything useful (although there were some words in their dialect that he didn't understand.) An officer like Gion, however, would have access to information that ordinary soldiers would not, and maybe he'd let a little slip if he were _bestest friends_ with the stupid mage. Fai had a few useful skills, including the ability to get just about anyone to talk, and his resistance to alcohol gave him an extra edge, especially since almost all soldiers loved to chug beer and gossip. (Initially, Kurogane had thought Fai couldn't hold his liquor because of his drunken antics in Outo Country, but in Sharano they'd downed at least fifty bottles of their host's wine and Fai's pale cheeks hadn't even betrayed a hint of red. That, combined with Fai's "I'm a harmless fool" act made him an ideal informant. Kurogane added "spy" to his running tally of Fai's occupations and resolved to remember to watch his tongue around the mage.)

They had been walking away from the camp for about ten minutes when Kurogane heard the unmistakable clash of steel against steel and shouts ahead. They crested a small hill and Gion gestured to the field below, informing them that it was the practice ground. The field stretched out flat and barren: ideal for practice since the ground was even and the vegetation sparse – little to trip over or to obscure vision. The ninja nodded in approval. He had witnessed more than his share of fatal training accidents, so he was always meticulous when choosing his own practice grounds.

On the right, men practiced with with an assortment of swords; to the left, a stocky man demonstrated throwing and grappling techniques to a small group of young men. Another group drilled with wooden poles that reminded Kurogane of kendo, although the poles were unusually long – long enough to knock a rider off one of those dragon-monsters. Kurogane drew his brows together: apparently, Ashura's men rode dragon mounts as well.

At the very back of the field, Kurogane spotted archers. Their targets were not bull-eyes but straw figures, roughly shaped like men. Some of the straw figures had even been placed upon life-sized straw dragon mounts._ Practical_, the ninja thought grudgingly as he watched the archers release their arrows into the vital points of their straw opponents. He and Fai would probably be pressed into service, but at least it was into a so-far competent army.

Gion gestured towards a dusty rug that glittered sharply in the sunlight. "You already have a weapon, Kurogane, but if you'd like an additional piece, please feel free to take one. Most of us carry more than one." The officer himself wore a short sword on his hip in addition to the scimitar on his back, and Kurogane suspected that he had several knives tucked into his boots (they were suspiciously bulky.) Kurogane had also seen a long staff and a shield on Gion's mount the day before.

Kurogane picked up a sword that reminded him of a katana and turned it over in his hands. The craftsmanship was simple, with no ornamental designs or even the creator's mark, but the sword was solid and sturdy. Kurogane held it out at arm's length: the balance was perfect.

"Don't you like it?" Gion asked when he respectfully laid the sword back on the rug.

"It's a good sword," Kurogane admitted, "but mine is better. The extra weight isn't justified." Like most of Tomoyo's ninja, he preferred to carry only the bare minimum of weapons to maximize speed and minimize noise.

The officer tapped his chin. "Our battles with Ashura's army are incredibly intense – they are skilled and fierce. It's not unheard for us to have to fall back on our backup weapons. What will you do if you lose your only weapon?"

"I've only dropped my sword once during combat." Kurogane locked eyes with Gion. "The bastard who knocked it away – I ran him through with his own sword."

Gion suddenly broke out in a grin, not his usual dorky grin, but a toothy, almost feral grin that pleased Kurogane. Now the man looked like he actually belonged in a battle instead of a knitting circle, chatting as he and his girlfriends braided each other's hair. "Is that so? Then, I look forward to being your first sparring partner."

"Then I look forward to beating the shit out of you," Kurogane replied, unable to stop himself from returning the grin; the exchange was far too similar to the ones he'd had countless times with Souma.

Gion laughed loudly, but Kurogane sensed the two escorts shift uncomfortably, as if they expected him to suddenly make a lunge for their officer. In retrospect, they'd seemed tense ever since Gion had announced that they would visit the practice grounds. Perhaps they disagreed that he and Fai were now privy to the training methods of the army. It _was_ rather odd that they would be given such a complete tour of the camp without having sworn fealty to Yam-yash yet. The ninja wondered darkly why they hadn't met the leader yet; in Japan, prisoners of war were brought before the leaders immediately. Because he and Fai hadn't sworn fealty to Yambash, they didn't owe him loyalty, but that also meant he didn't owe them his protection either.

Gion turned to Fai, who was squatting in front of the rug and poorly feigning interest in the assortment of weapons. The idiot mage poked at a mace gingerly as if he expected it bite him. "We have more weapons than these, Fai. What kind of weapon do you use?" Gion asked.

Fai blinked, not understanding the word "weapon." Kurogane remembered that he hadn't taught Fai the word, although he had certainly taught him "sword" and "I _will_ cut you."

"Ah, I know!" Gion exclaimed. He pointed to himself --"my _weapon_"--then he tapped the weapon on his back--"is a _scimitar_." Then he pointed to Kurogane. "Kurogane's _weapon_ is a _sword_. What is your _weapon_?"

Recognition flickered in Fai's eyes, and Gion smiled broadly. Kurogane felt a stab of anger. Of course Fai would catch on easily; _he _was the one who'd spent months teaching the idiot. Dumb Hair was just benefiting from all his hard effort (mostly effort not to kill his only pupil, but it was effort worthy of acknowledgment nonetheless.)

"My _weapon_ is _fasdrewle dartos_." Fai smiled, a positively _wicked_ smile, and he crooked his arm so that his hand was slightly over his shoulder. Then he pitched that hand forward in a throwing motion.

"Throwing stars? Bombs?" Gion asked excitedly.

Red. He was seeing red. Kurogane wanted to strangle Fai very, very badly. Somehow he doubted the officer would find the mental image of Fai riding into battle and showering the fierce Ashurarites with _bar darts_ to be as hilarious as Fai apparently did.

When Fai started adding _whooshing_ and _thunking_ sound effects to his miming, Kurogane decided enough was enough. "You don't have that particular projectile weapon here," he informed Gion while shooting a nasty glance at Fai, who shrugged sheepishly as if to say "I can't help myself." The ninja fully believed that. Fai possessed the self-restraint of an undisciplined five-year-old; last night's tent escapade proved he'd never learned that early childhood lesson about keeping his hands to himself.

Sudden inspiration struck Kurogane: perhaps Fai _had_ never actually been taught how to behave as a proper human being; he'd always suspected that the mage had been abandoned at birth and raised by wild alley cats, who taught him to survive by scavenging for leftover alcohol containers. While serving under Tomoyo, Kurogane had been responsible for training a few new recruits who'd managed to resist any basic attempts at civilizing them (naturally, his princess thought they deserved a chance to rise above their backgrounds and thus offered them a chance at the Royal Guard.) But a few weeks of sword-training under his kind and understanding tutelage had transformed them. It was amazing what honest sweat, a few bruises, and a healthy dose of psychological scarring could do for idiots.

Kurogane tilted his head and stared at Fai thoughtfully, then swiftly picked up a clunky broadsword and dumped it into Fai's hands. Fai staggered under the sudden weight, which wasn't surprising; it probably weighed half as much as the scrawny wizard. "Since they don't have your particular _weapon_ of choice here, I'll just have to teach you how to fight using a sword," Kurogane said. "It can't be half as hard as teaching you to speak."

The mage's eyes rounded and he fidgeted uncomfortably, throwing a few glances around as if he were evaluating his escape routes. Kurogane resisted the urge to chuckle in dark satisfaction. Fai had, after all, witnessed his sword techniques remake entire landscapes, and he'd also seen how rough he'd been on the brat when he was training him in Outo Country – and Fai also knew that he didn't find the brat half as annoying as he did Fai.

"How kind of you, Kurogane!" Gion beamed, blissfully oblivious to the mage's look of poorly concealed terror. "Fai, you're so lucky to have a traveling companion who is so helpful." The officer clapped a hand on Fai's shoulder, and then frowned. "Although, you're a bit on thin side. You'll have to bulk up in order to swing a broadsword around. Perhaps we can have the cook serve you double portions of meat; he'll do it if it's for a training regimen."

Kurogane snorted to himself. Fai picked at his _first _servings as it was, no wonder he was such a lanky guy. Even the princess had a bigger appetite than he did. The only thing the mage seemed eager to eat was sugary crap. But Fai couldn't very well get along on that stuff in an army camp, and Kurogane hadn't seen many sweets in the mess tent anyway. "He'll have to do lots of push-ups and work with weights," Kurogane told Gion, relishing the Fai-torture. "But he _enjoys_ hard work, so I'm sure it will be no problem for him."

Fai shook his head vehemently; apparently, he'd understood enough of the conversation to realize he was facing the triple threat of extra meat, hard work, _and_ Kurogane. "I know that weapon." The mage reluctantly pointed towards the back fields.

"You know how to use a bow? Let me fetch the instructor, then." Gion gave an order to one of the escorts, and the escort left for the back field. He returned a few minutes later with a man carrying several bows. The man had generous streaks of gray in his black hair, which caught Kurogane's attention because he'd seen very few older men in camp. All the ones he'd seen here possessed a particular air of resilience and animal cunning, and this man, with his sharp eyes, was no exception.

The instructor turned those sharp eyes on Fai. "You've got some experience with archery, son?"

Fai smiled apologetically. "I don't understand."

"Eh, doesn't matter. Just pick one." The instructor held out three bows between his hands. His hands were callused and knotted from years of practice, and Kurogane noticed how soft and slender Fai's were in comparison. It seemed wholly impossible that Fai had ever even _looked_ at a bow, but Fai was not the type to lie directly. Lies by evasion and omission, yes, but never a direct lie.

Fai's expression grew thoughtful and he leaned closed to the bows, his lips moving silently. Then he reached out and picked one up, his movements assured and familiar. Kurogane couldn't tell what made that bow better than the other two - but the old instructor smiled. "That's a good match for you." He Gion a nod and returned to the archery field.

"Do you want to practice now? I'd love to see what you can do with a bow," Gion asked as Fai experimentally tested the bow string with his index finger.

Fai stiffened. The movement was slight, but Kurogane had grown attuned to Fai's body language after months of dealing with inadequate language and he'd learned that he could read Fai somewhat by what he _wasn't_ showing. The mage tried to hide any negative emotions behind that damn fake smile, but he also ceased his usual fidgeting. A Fai who wasn't flitting about like an insane butterfly was an upset Fai.

Kurogane suspected the source of Fai's discomfort was the prospect of being judged as a warrior again – even if the audience were friendly, Fai did not want to be exposed as a man capable of dealing death. He only wanted people to see the mask he chose to wear: the harmless fool. Kurogane knew he'd have to broach the subject with Fai soon; they were in an army encampment, surrounded by potential enemies, and Fai's pretend-games could get them killed. But here was not the place to broach the subject. "It's not a good idea," he said instead to Gion. "We haven't even met your leader yet, so we can't practice with you."

"I don't see why that's a problem."

Kurogane let air hiss through his teeth in irritation. "You can't be completely oblivious to the looks we've been getting all day." Kurogane jabbed his chin towards the escorts. "Even your hand-picked baby-sitters aren't comfortable with us. We're still your 'prisoners' until your leader makes a damn decision to accept us or chop our heads off."

The officer looked at the escorts, a puzzled expression on his face as if he were having trouble accepting that everyone was not as trusting as he. Kurogane wondered if Girl Hair were one of those rare people who possessed no ill intentions himself and thus couldn't anticipate it in others.

"When will we meet with him?" Kurogane pressed as his fingers started twitching again. He didn't like to leave matters unresolved.

"Yasha-sama has had... more pressing matters on his mind lately. But you may practice here early in the morning, before these fields are in use. It's important for you to both be in shape to fight, regardless of whether or not you're 'in' our army because our enemies don't exactly care about those details, and it would be poor form for us not to consider your basic safety," Gion answered, but he was looking straight at the escorts instead of Kurogane.

Kurogane grunted, sensing the officer was omitting a lot about Yashal. There was a faint line of worry on the mage's face too, and Kurogane knew he didn't buy the story either. But they weren't exactly in the position to start demanding answers, so there was nothing to do but let the matter drop.

* * *

_Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale._

Kurogane breathed deeply and slowly, coordinating his breaths with his movements as he went through a warm-up routine, guiding his sword through the positions with painstaking slowness, as if the air were thick and heavy as molasses. This warm-up routine involved the most elementary moves of swordsmanship - any novice swordsman knew them like his own sword hand – but Kurogane had often been pleasantly surprised at what new aspects of his art were revealed to him during this routine. Right now, though, he was counting on the simple routine to help him clear his mind. He'd been in a state of constant unease since the soldiers had abducted them, and he needed to be stable in his mind as well as his body especially if he were to meet with Yasha soon. He was glad that Gion had permitted them to practice here alone, without the distraction from other soldiers. Back in Japan, Kurogane had always preferred to practice alone unless he needed sparring practice.

By the time his eyes began to sting from sweat, Kurogane felt pleased with his progress. He wiped Souhi dry before sheathing it and then walked to the archery field.

Fai did not turn around as he approached, his attention completely fixed upon the straw targets at the end of the field. Kurogane noted many arrows jutting out of the targets, far more than were littered on the ground. When Fai had begun practicing this morning, his aim had been off and his arrows strayed from their course, but he'd obviously found his rhythm again.

Fai's black eyes flicked impassively over the straw figures until he settled upon a new target. In a few fluid movements, the mage lifted his bow from his side while drawing an arrow from his quiver, notched it, and pulled the bowstring taut. The arrow flew straight with a deadly speed and sank into the center of his target's chest. If straw men had hearts, Fai's opponent would be dead.

Kurogane watched appreciatively as the mage swiftly dispatched several more straw opponents. There was nothing gangly or excessive about Fai's lanky limbs now; his lean frame moved with grace and efficiency as if he'd been born for the sole purpose of archery. Kurogane arched an eyebrow; it was just another secret the mage had managed to conceal.

After several more minutes, Kurogane called out to Fai. "That's enough."

Fai turned around, a questioning frown on his face. "I'm not tired." He rubbed at his neck and rolled his shoulders. "But a little _swretyal_."

Kurogane shook his head and pointed to Fai's hands. "You have not practiced for a long time." Fai held his hands up to his face, palms facing upward, and made a small sound of surprise to find his fingers bleeding.

Kurogane had known without even looking that Fai's hands would be cut. He had protective calluses on his own hands from years of handling a sword, but if he went months without practicing, his fingers would bleed as well when he resumed sword practice. Bowstrings in particular were known to be rather brutal on one's hands, and Fai's hands were soft to begin with. "Come here," Kurogane gestured, pulling several strips out of his pocket. Early this morning, he'd gone to the tent where clothing and blankets were stockpiled and harassed the sour-faced man in charge for a few clean scraps of cloth.

Fai stood in front of him, his hands hidden away behind his back. "_Hands_." Kurogane's tone did not brook disobedience. With a sigh, Fai reluctantly offered his hands to the ninja like a sacrifice, his dark eyes mistrustful. "I know how to be gentle, dumbass," Kurogane growled as he uncorked his canteen and washed Fai's cuts out. "But you need to put some of your nasty medicine on this later so it doesn't get infected." Fai blinked at him in confusion, and Kurogane swore to himself as he imagined trying to draw pictures for Fai later to get the message across. _Damned Space Time Bitch._ He silently promised himself that he'd demand a refund for all the days that stupid manjuu bun was AWOL.Maybe the refund would be enough to get Ginryu's scabbard back.

Kurogane wrapped the strips around Fai's palms and fingers, careful not to cut off the circulation. The cuts on the tips of Fai's fingers were more or less unpreventable until he callused them – an archer needed flexibility in the tips to grip the string – but there were gloves designed to protect the bottom parts of the fingers and the palms. They needed proper clothes and equipment. The mornings here were chilly, and the torn clothing from their Sharano host was lightweight and suited for summer wear. Fai didn't seem to be handling the cold well; he'd kept shivering this morning until he'd warmed up during archery practice. At first, Kurogane had been surprised, since Fai had remarked that his country was colder than Jade – and that place had been cold as hell – but then he recalled Fai cheerfully tramping around even humid countries like Hanshin with _both_ his coats on and not even breaking a sweat. The idiot mage was _cold-natured_. Maybe that was the real reason he'd decided to run away from his iceberg of a planet. Regardless, this damned army needed to give them some new clothes soon; Kurogane had managed to even further rip his own clothes this morning while practicing. At this rate, they'd both be running around stark naked by the end of the week.

Kurogane inspected his handiwork. He wasn't as skilled as Tomoyo, her bandages always looked so neat and tidy compared to his bulky ones, but at least it would hold. "There," he said, releasing Fai's hands. Fai flexed his bandaged fingers experimentally, then beamed at him as if he'd gotten a prize. "Thank you, Kuro-sensei!" Then he began to babble happily in that strange language of his.

"That's enough, idiot. Anyway, you're not too bad with a bow." Kurogane pointed to Fai's bow. "Who was your teacher?"

The smile on Fai's face slid off.

Kurogane's face flushed with sudden anger as he realized that Fai didn't intend to answer. _After all this time._ "You pretend that you're crazy about me, but you've never trusted me even a little, have you? After what we've been through together on this stupid journey, but you still treat me like I'm a threat." The hot words spilled out of his mouth quickly, and he wasn't sure how much the mage actually understood but he found he didn't much care.

When Fai responded, his voice was low but full of tension, like a bowstring stretched taut. "Who was_ your _teacher?"

Kurogane almost snapped back that it was none of Fai's damn business and why should he be honest with Fai when the idiot never trusted him enough to tell him anything important, not even why he was running away from his life? **Almost.** But the thought of going down that same, tired path again made him hesitate. He thought of all the nights spent around campfires, crouched over sketches in the dirt as he racked his brain to get a point across to Fai. He thought of waving his hands around like a madman while he gestured actions, and forcing Fai to repeat words again and again until he pronounced them just _right_. And he thought of that dancing spark in Fai's eyes when it all clicked, that triumphant look that said he'd just snatched a piece of the sky and stuffed it into his pockets along with all that other junk he carried around. Then he thought of that odd feeling that crept over him when he realized that he couldn't communicate with the only person who knew who he was, who knew that his eyes were red and not black and that he had a princess waiting for him worlds away.

Kurogane didn't know Fai's motivations for learning Japanese. But he sure as hell knew that he hadn't spent all that time teaching Fai so they could start playing games again. He wasn't going to be the one to take the first step down that path. He met Fai's eyes firmly. "My father."

Fai's face paled. He bowed his head and blond hair spilled in front of his eyes like a waterfall. When he looked up a long moment later, his expression was raw. "My brother." There was pride in his voice and pain, and Kurogane knew that his brother was dead.

"He was a good teacher," Kurogane said quietly, and Fai gave him a small, grateful smile, recognizing it as a peace offering.

"C'mon, let's get something to eat before the greedy bastards gobble all it up." Kurogane started back for the mess tent and Fai fell into step beside him. Kurogane kept his eyes fixed on the camp ahead and tried not think about how disturbingly intimate the conversation had felt – more than touching because Fai was free with his touches but not his honesty.

He wondered why he cared, then decided that it was safer to think about breakfast.

* * *

Feedback and constructive criticism welcomed! Thanks for reading. 


	7. Lesson VII: Discussions

**Title:**_Lost in Translation._  
**Lesson VII:** _Discussions._ (No. 7 of ?)  
**Pairing:** KuroFai  
**Disclaimer:** These two were hatched from the collective brain of CLAMP. Not mine.  
**Spoilers:** I don't think so, but it is set during the Shurano/Yamano arc. I'm writing a few short stories based on the adventures of Kurogane and Fai in Yasha territory (aka "Yamano") with a focus on the language barrier.

* * *

Fai was giving him **The Look.**

Kurogane felt the hairs on his nape rise, but he did not retract the hand proffering the katana.

"I don't want to." Fai's wiry shoulders were set, his eyes narrowed. Kurogane had absolutely no idea why Fai was being stubborn: he'd already complimented Fai's archery ("not too bad" was about the highest praise he ever doled out), so the man had no reason to view sword lessons as an insult. But for all he knew, Fai didn't feel insulted but simply wanted to piss him off because it was Tuesday and Tuesdays were "piss off Kuro-pon days."

With a growl, the ninja shoved the katana into his belt. Clearly, a demonstration was in order. He stalked over to Fai and circled around the mage, who tracked his movements warily. Kurogane removed all of Fai's arrows from his quiver and carefully placed them on the ground. "_All gone_," he said clearly, pointing to the empty quiver so the meaning was unmistakable. Then he pulled out the katana and leveled it at Fai's chest. "Now what?" He smirked to himself. There was no way Fai could argue with that clear logic: in a heated battle with multiple opponents, it was entirely probable that Fai could run out of arrows and be left defenseless.

"All gone, all gone," Fai repeated, turning the phrase over in his mouth, his gaze slightly unfocused as Kurogane had noticed was the mage's habit when he was processing new ideas. Then Fai grinned sharply, and suddenly there were bandaged hands pressing against his chest and Kurogane wondered fuzzily exactly _how_ the slippery mage had slipped around the katana so easily and _what_ the idiot was doing and _why_ he was just standing there, leaning forward instead of knocking some sense into said idiot. Fai ran his fingers across his chest, tugging at the torn shirt suggestively. "All gone... now what?"

A sudden stab of anger flashed through the ninja's mental haze, anger at Fai for using such a dirty tactic and at himself for reacting like a gullible teenager. _He's just being a damned tease to distract me. _Teasing and touching didn't mean anything to Fai other than a game and he'd always known that. He exhaled slowly, willing himself not to jerk back instinctively; he _was_ still holding a katana in the air behind Fai. Kurogane lowered the katana to his right hip slowly, then grasped Fai's shoulder with his left hand and pushed him away, his resolve hardening. The touching games had to stop now, before they had been a mere source of annoyance, but circumstances had changed. They were stranded in a strange, hostile land, with no brats and manjuu bun around to lend the usual measure of innocence to Fai's games -- and he was apparently under enough stress to actually start reacting to the flirting.

Then there was the matter of the small, tenuous understanding that had been forged when they'd grudgingly exchanged a bit of personal information. There hadn't been that much shared since that day, just a few bits and pieces there, but Kurogane wasn't willing to let Fai jeopardize that with his stupid games. "Don't do things like that as a joke," Kurogane said, his voice tight. "Don't _touch _me."

Fai's eyes rounded in shock and he opened his mouth as if to protest, but then he shut it. He nodded, looking rather miserable. Obviously Fai had been expecting the usual death threats and chasing instead of a clear order.

Kurogane chose to ignore Fai's expression. The idiot was a full-grown man, he could figure out some new diversion to amuse himself. "Now listen. I don't know why you don't like swords. But I'm _not_ going to let you get yourself killed. If that stupid manjuu bun shows up and you're dead, it'll probably sulk and blame me and leave me in this dump. So you're not going to die."

Kurogane wasn't certain how much of that rant the mage understood, but a shadow of a smile passed over his face and he stretched his arms out to accept the sword. "Kuro-sensei wins."

* * *

Kurogane blocked Fai's thrust and stepped forward quickly, forcing the other man to engage in some fancy footwork to defend himself. The ninja noted that Fai's movements were slower than earlier; he was lagging, breathing labored, and blond hair sticking limply to his neck. But the expression of intense concentration on the mage's face did not waver. Kurogane smirked as he lunged for Fai's exposed ribcage and watched the man dance out of the way with less spring than before. The mage would _never_ ask for a break; he could be remarkably stubborn, just like the brat.

As amusing as it was to know that he could push the notoriously lazy mage until he dropped, Kurogane called the practice a few minutes later. He wasn't tired himself, but it would be foolish to push Fai too far and strain his developing sword muscles. The mage had gotten used to archery again, but swordplay made different demands on different areas of the body.

Fai began to clean the katana, and Kurogane observed as he wiped the dust off the blade and the sweat from the hilt, as he'd been instructed. Then he turned his attentions to his own borrowed katana; he'd opted to use it instead of Souhi because the force of the longsword was enough for him to simply knock away Fai's katana with one blow, which would have been rather counterproductive for a training session.

The session had been good, though. He was satisfied with Fai's progress and the katana was a good match for Fai. At ninety centimeters long and three kilograms, it was much shorter and lighter than Souhi, but Fai wouldn't need a sword that could knock a man off his mount, and he wasn't physically built to handle such a weapon anyway. The katana, on the other hand, complimented Fai's natural speed and would enable Fai to deal quick, punishing slashes to anyone who managed to slip past his arrows. It was a fine piece of metal, too: responsive, with just the right balance of give and rigidity. The katana wouldn't make Fai a master swordsman -- years of practice and a certain talent the mage lacked were necessary for that, but Fai was observant and rarely repeated mistakes. He would become an adequate wielder with enough practice, which was satisfactory enough for Kurogane's goal of keeping the mage alive.

Swords cleaned and carefully wrapped inside old cloth, the two men then stretched themselves carefully. Kurogane knew from experience that he would get stiff if he didn't take care to loosen his muscles after a long practice. He tilted his neck to the left slowly and groaned as he felt bones pop.

Fai glanced at him with concern, but he didn't offer to massage it as he would have in the past. The mage had been scrupulously careful to avoid any physical contact with him since being snapped at two weeks ago. The only time they touched now was if Kurogane had to correct his form during practice. _Which is the way it should be_, Kurogane told himself.

Fai settled himself on a rock outcropping and rummaged through his cloth bag, pulling out several slender branches and a short knife. He started whittling at one of the branches as had become his habit whenever he was unoccupied – the branches were intended for arrows, but so far none of them had met Fai's approval. Each night the whittled branches ended up in their cook fire.

Kurogane sat down next to Fai on the sun-warmed rock, watching as his slender hands shaved off a long curl of bark. The mage's half-lidded eyes had a distant, dreamy look, as if he were thinking of a pleasant far-off place. It was a peaceful look and Kurogane rather liked it. Fai didn't have many like that.

Fai frowned at the branch he held. The knife had cut too deep. "It's hard." He shook his head and chose another branch.

"Why bother? You can just keep getting arrows from that old archer."

A pale eyebrow quirked up. "Ah, Kuro-sei's so _preseign_. But it's good if you make your arrows."

"Did your brother make his arrows?" Kurogane asked carefully, with a neutral tone to convey that the question was just a causal query and didn't have to be answered. Still, this was the best time to ask: he'd found that Fai tended to be less guarded when his hands were occupied and when he was warm, as if the heat melted the hard, frozen parts of him.

Fai continued whittling his new branch as he considered the question, and he smiled wistfully. "Yes, he did. He said it was... big."

"Important." Kurogane nodded to show that he understood. "You don't like swords, but you like archery. Because of your brother?"

Fai curled off another long strip of bark before answering. "Maybe. And with arrows, you don't get close."

That answer made sense on more levels than Kurogane wanted it to. Distance had always been precious to Fai, even when he was parading as the most affectionate member of their little group with his hugs and pokes and teases. Yet, the mage _was_ sitting next to him and answering his questions. Kurogane decided to press a little further. "When you shoot, you have very good luck. Can you do that with other things or just the wind?"

"Mmm, I don't try. But maybe it does change because I want to hit the target." Then Fai's eyes snapped wide open as he realized the implications of what Kurogane had been asking him and what he had just unwittingly revealed. His entire body froze, like a rabbit that had suddenly found itself in the middle of meadow with no hiding place and a predator circling overhead.

Kurogane blinked, startled: he'd known Fai would react to being asked about magic, which is why he hadn't used the word "magic" in his question. But he hadn't expected the mage to be _threatened_ by his question or even that surprised. Kurogane had grown up around priestesses, however, so perhaps Fai's magical nature wasn't so glaringly obvious to other people and he hadn't expected to be questioned about it.

That didn't quite explain the _fear_ Fai was radiating, his face impossibly pale. Sure, he'd bitched at the mage plenty and threatened to kill him on a regular basis, but outside of practice he'd not so much as scratched the man. He'd never said he had a problem with magic other than rightly complaining when Fai wouldn't use his powers to help them escape near-certain death... except for complaining about that witch Yuuko... and maybe Tomoyo... and the manjuu bun. Kurogane swore to himself. Obviously, Fai had gotten the wrong impression. He hadn't been angry with those people and that bun because of their magic, but because they were sneaky, conniving, or annoying. Well, Fai could be sneaky, conniving, and annoying too, but it didn't have anything to do with his magic. In truth, the only trait of Fai's that genuinely pissed him off was his dishonesty, and Kurogane was beginning to suspect that the dishonesty was deeply entwined with the fear.

The only way was to address that fear was to let Fai know that he could trust him, that he didn't have to be afraid. And Fai would probably only trust if he made himself vulnerable first, like he had when they'd argued about who taught Fai archery. "I don't hate magic." Kurogane swallowed, suddenly awkward like a tall adult who has chosen to kneel so he doesn't frighten a small child. It wasn't a familiar role for him at all. "I... my mother was a priestess."

That glazed expression melted from Fai's face, and he resumed whittling the branch. "That's nice," Fai said, his voice very small.

Kurogane pretended that he didn't notice the branch quivering in Fai's hands. "If you say you did not use wind magic on purpose, I believe you. But if you want to use magic, I don't care."

"How did you know... I have wind magic?"

The ninja considered his reply carefully. "Well, the Space Time B—Yuuko told us on Kouryo. But even before that, you flew in Hanshin. You already knew _how_ to fly. Your kudan didn't teach you that." There was more to it than that, though. Every little thing Fai did screamed that he was magic: his airy voice, his light gait, his flowing choice of dress, the way the breeze would ruffle his hair even when no one else could feel a breeze. It was so natural to Fai that he didn't even realize he was using it; when Fai had searched for the Kiishim's presence in that maze, he'd levitated off the ground and hadn't even noticed that his companions had been staring at him. Sometimes Kurogane half suspected that Fai might just float off if he got bored being earth-bound.

Fai gave a little, forced laugh as he spun the shaved branch through his fingers. "Kuro-pon watches good. He's so _obreryselan._" His eyes grew distant again, but this time there was remembered pain in them. "Not everyone is nice like Kuro-pon. Some people... want to kill mages. Witches. Anyone – anything - magic."

Kurogane's chest tightened in anger. There were bastards back in Japan, too, who had wanted Tomoyo dead, even when she was still a child with such tiny hands. He'd arrived at Yuuko's shop with the blood of their assassins still dripping from his face. Fai was not pure like Tomoyo, and Kurogane knew the man had committed some terrible acts – the mage understood _him_ too well to be innocent. But he hardly deserved to die. For all his lies and deceit, he was a man who had shown compassion even when they'd still been strangers to each other. He was kind to a frightened boy he had no obligation to, and he'd returned the first feather to the dying princess when he could have easily just plucked it off Syaoran's cloak and secreted it away; no one else had noticed it. No, Fai didn't deserve death, even if he didn't value his own life. "You're such a pain," Kurogane growled. "But I won't let anyone kill you for your magic. Now if you piss someone off because you're an idiot, you're on your own."

Fai smiled then, a warm, real one. "I'll try not to be an idiot... for Kuro-panko."

* * *

A/N: There are some more references to _Child of Celes_ in here (the wind magic.)

The katana in the story is based off a real one I saw in the Kyushu National Museum – it's designated a "National Treasure" because it apparently belonged to one of Tokugawa Ieyasu's men. It was so pretty and sharp that I wanted to take it home. Sadly, that was not an option.

Happy Valentine's Day, all. Eat lots of chocolate.


	8. Lesson VIII: Spying

**Title:**_Lost in Translation._  
**Lesson VIII:** _Spying._ (No. 8 of ?)  
**Pairing:** KuroFai  
**Disclaimer:** These two were hatched from the collective brain of CLAMP. Not mine.  
**Spoilers:** I don't think so, but it is set during the Shurano/Yamano arc. I'm writing a few short stories based on the adventures of Kurogane and Fai in Yasha territory (aka "Yamano") with a focus on the language barrier.  
**Rating:** PG-16. For all the stories as a whole (language, some violence... and possible "adult situations.")  
**Word Count: **2734

**Note:** This story is definitely AU now that CLAMP has revealed more of Fai's background, and it contradicts with the back story I made up for Fai in _Child of Celes (_and which I occasionally reference here.) However, since this story is told from Kurogane's POV, I don't think that will affect the story much.

* * *

His target had started to move.

With a grunt, Kurogane nodded to the soldiers he'd been sharing a campfire with as he stood up to leave. They nodded back at him absentmindedly because their attention was fixed on Fai, who'd been narrating a nonsensical tale (as far as Kurogane could tell) with plenty of miming and sound effects to compensate for words he didn't know in Japanese. The soldiers particularly enjoyed those parts, excitedly interjecting with their guesses and boisterously taunting each other over whose speculative ability was superior. Of course, they'd been drinking like – well, soldiers- and were thus easily amused by an idiot mage's antics.

"Kuro-pon?" Said idiot had paused, hands posed mid-air, black eyes questioning. Kurogane rarely left Fai alone on the nights when wine rations were distributed.

"It's fine," Kurogane answered, shooting Fai a meaningful look as he flicked his eyes over to his target. Fai smiled knowingly and continued his tale as Kurogane disappeared among the tents. It wasn't that Fai _couldn't_ take care of himself, but there were a few select bastards who liked to use the pretext of "being wasted" as an opportunity to try to feel the mage up, and Fai apparently felt compelled to exercise restraint since he'd gotten a reputation as being a skilled fighter. When Kurogane had yelled at him about his restraint, Fai had managed to explain that since he had that reputation, he couldn't exactly go around retaliating against "helpless drunks," especially since they were still technically prisoners of a sort. Kurogane had yelled at Fai some more, then swore to himself to get the matter resolved immediately.

Which was why he was currently padding down the winding paths through the tents, shadowing his target. They'd been in the camp almost three weeks without catching so much as a glimpse of General Yasmiso or developing any leads about possible feathers, although their prospects had improved now that they'd made some friendly acquaintances. The old archery instructor had taken a shine to Fai, and had introduced them to a small bunch of soldiers who had invited them to share their campfire. The seven weren't a bad lot, as far as soldiers went – they were a curious lot, and willing to share their alcohol in exchange for stories of far-off places and dirty jokes. And they didn't try to fondle Fai. A couple of them had certainly been _looking_, though, sneaking not-so-furtive glances at him around the campfire every night. Unfortunately, the damn idiot's stupid blond hair and pale face glowed in the light, making him appear soft and pretty and not nearly so annoying. Kurogane blamed Fai for that.

His target stopped, slowly putting his foot down as he turned to cast a suspicious glance over his shoulder, but Kurogane remained calm, his breathing even as he waited in a tent's shadow. _Even if you knew exactly where to look, you'd never spot me,_ Kurogane smirked when his target rubbed his head in confusion and continued down the path. Souma was an annoying, moralistic nag, but her spying skills were second to none, and she'd trained _him._ In general, he preferred to take his opponents head-on so he could enjoy the pleasure of maiming or killing them directly, but the art of stealth had its benefits as well. There was a sort of amusement to be derived from being able to watch but not be watched. (With a sudden epiphany, Kurogane wondered if that was the reason The Bitch of Space and Time always had that little, knowing smirk on her face, and he resolved to never ever let the white pork bun in the bathroom when he was bathing.)

Kurogane hung back as his target approached a tent in the middle of the maze of officers' tents. The tent was by far the largest in camp, and its entrance was covered by a pagoda-style roof, flanked by armed guards on each side. The guards saluted sharply as his target strode up. "Officer Gion."

"I have a report to deliver to Lord Yasha. I assume he is not... indisposed?"

Kurogane went tense with anticipation. So that Yashmashy guy _was_ sick.

"Lord Yasha is well and awaiting your report, sir." The guards bowed briefly and stepped aside, parting the drapes over the entrance, and Kurogane was only able to catch a glimpse of richly colored pillows and the leg of a table before his target disappeared inside. He eyed the tent with distaste; the distance was too great for him to properly eavesdrop on the conversation. A quick reconnaissance around the area revealed several of the surrounding tents were situated conveniently close to Yashmal's. Kurogane chose a vacant one and slipped inside, positioning himself against the back wall.

"...suffered no fatalities this time, but frankly, sir, that was luck. They were waiting behind that hill; they were _expecting_ us. They made the same demands as last time, but they were being vague and prophetic as usual so the men seemed puzzled. I don't think anyone understands what they're after."

There was a response, but it was so soft Kurogane could not hear the words. But he _felt_ the power behind that voice, dark and strong like an undertow that threatened to sweep the listener away. Suddenly, Kurogane wanted very badly to see what sort of a man possessed a voice like _that._

"No sir, I don't have any ideas yet as to who could be leaking information."

Another soft response.

"I'm afraid I must respectfully disagree with Officer Urawa. Those two haven't done anything to indicate that they're affiliated with the bandits. They've been here for several weeks, but they haven't been asking suspicious questions or tried to leave camp. I told you about Kurogane's peculiar accent as well: it's been consistent. He's never slipped into the bandit dialect."

Another answer.

This time, there was a strained pause before Gion answered. "No sir, I don't quite believe that Fai is just some nomad Kurogane found wandering around the Forbidden Desert. There's something about that man that reminds me – with all due respect, my lord – of _you._ It's hard to explain, but when he's quiet, not joking around or anything but just thinking, sometimes he gets the exact same expression you do when you're worried. Like he's got all these responsibilities weighing on his mind and he knows that no matter what he decides, people are going to get hurt. And his manners are a little different from ours but refined, not all like a desert wanderer's."

Yasha said something very quickly then.

"**Ashura's** clan?! No, sir! Captain Hakata said Fai got very upset when he asked him about Ashura, like he hates Ashura. Maybe... Fai's people got wiped out by Ashura's, and he escaped into the desert." Gion sighed. "But since we don't know where the Ashuras live, it's rather hard to make a decent conjecture."

Yasha replied, his voice at normal speed.

"I haven't gotten any further opportunities to observe their skills yet. They only train early in the morning when no one's around, at Kurogane's insistence. Still, I'd like a chance to spar with him. He has the spirit of an excellent swordsman."

A reply.

"Please, my lord, just wait a few more days like the healer said. They're not going anywhere. Please don't strain yourself with exercise yet. If you... got hurt again..."

Yasha replied again, and Kurogane leaned forward in anticipation, straining the limits of his hearing. Perhaps Yasha might reveal the nature of his injury.

A shrill, irritated voice broke into Kurogane's thoughts: "Hey, if you're going to puke your guts out, do it away from _my_ tent." There was a groan as the other man – presumably the potential puker – shuffled further away, and Kurogane swore to himself. He'd broken Souma's Ninjitsu Spying Rule Number 3: _Do not get so caught up in spying that you ignore your surroundings_. (Rule Number 1, of course, was _Do not piss Souma off under any circumstances._)Whiny Voice noisily entered the tent next to Kurogane's, muttering about hangovers from cheap wine. Kurogane waited for a few seconds, then slipped out of his borrowed tent; more soldiers would likely be stumbling back from the campfires. He padded down the winding footpaths with as much speed as he could manage and still maintain his silence. All the tents in this area were officers', so he couldn't very well act like he belonged in this area. Pretending he had drunkenly wandered into the wrong section wouldn't work either; unlike a certain mage, he wasn't good at feigning inebriation.

After a few tense minutes, the campfires of the commons came into view, and Kurogane allowed himself a small smirk. He'd learned some very valuable information, although he didn't understand how it all fit together yet. He'd have to review the information with Fai. It would take patience (and probably some damned sketches) to explain the conversation to Fai, but the man _did_ have good intuition.

Only three of the seven soldiers still lingered at their fire, talking in subdued tones as Fai dozed, his chin drooped against his chest. An army-issued coat had been draped over Fai's shoulders.

"Oi, Kurogane." The soldier sitting next to Fai raised his hand up casually in greeting, but the friendly gesture was incongruous with the flinty glint in his eyes. He was not wearing a coat. As Kurogane drew closer, he realized that the man's thigh was almost pressed against Fai's, and he felt his neck muscles go taut.

Kurogane narrowed his eyes at the soldier, but he spoke to Fai instead, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up, idiot."

Fai blinked sleepily, mumbling in his crazy native language as his fingers closed around Kurogane's hand. Kurogane almost started in surprise before he understood Fai wanted a hand up. He quickly hauled Fai to his feet, and then disdainfully picked the coat off the mage, using only his thumb and index finger. Kurogane handed the coat to the soldier, restraining his urge to toss it into his face.

"He can keep it until tomorrow. He gets cold easily, you know." The soldier held the coat out. A seemingly friendly gesture which Kurogane recognized for the challenge it was.

"He's fine," Kurogane replied curtly, turning to leave. As if he wanted to argue about idiot mages with idiot soldiers, who ought to be minding their own business instead of draping their smelly coats over unsuspecting, innocent nappers. He'd have to keep an eye on that bastard. _Machida,_ wasn't it?

The path back to their tent was poorly lit and overgrown with stringy vegetation with curling loops that made them rather effective foot nooses, so Kurogane forced himself to slow his pace. At night, Fai couldn't see as half as well as he could. Still, Fai lagged behind, the sound of his footsteps slow and ponderous. "You stayed up too late again, didn't you?" Kurogane accused softly.

"Mmphf."

The ninja rolled his eyes. Fai had developed the bad habit of reviewing his Japanese notes late into the night, even though he knew they had to wake up early in order to use the practice fields. He still carried on as usual (the "usual" involving hard training punctuated by occasional pranks and long-winded stories.) Consequently, he'd become prone to sudden bouts of fatigue. _Stupid mage,_ Kurogane thought, but he was unable to quell a twinge of pride at his pupil's dedication.

Fai stumbled. Kurogane's arm shot out reflexively and he grabbed Fai by the elbow.

Fai offered him an apologetic smile as he pulled his foot free from some vines. "Kuro-kin, go." He waved his hand in the direction of their tent. "I'm too slow."

"Don't be such a dumbass. You'll wake me up whenever you do finally get back and let cold air into the tent." Kurogane tugged on Fai's elbow, pulling the mage close enough to place his hands around the smaller man's waist.

"Oh!" Fai exclaimed in surprise as he was hoisted up over Kurogane's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, legs in front, torso in back. Kurogane ignored him and continued down the path at his usual quick pace, mostly unencumbered by Fai's weight. The ninja thought about how his hands had neatly encircled the mage's waist, and he wondered if they made all men long and skinny in Celes, or if Fai stood out there as much as he would in Japan. He could feel Fai's ribcage rubbing against his back.

"Kuro-pon's nice," Fai said quietly, then his muscles went slack as he drifted off to sleep again.

_Stupid mage, he's just like a little brat._ Back in Japan, he would carry Tomoyo when she was fatigued after a long day of holding court in Kendappa's absence. Those elaborate, multi-layered robes her office demanded were heavy and difficult to maneuver in, especially for a girl with such a small frame. As the princess had aged, however, she'd started to protest when he insisted on carrying her in his arms. _I'm not little anymore,_ she reprimanded him gently, but he always pretended not to hear her and she always sighed dramatically before curling her arms around his neck. Sometimes she would press her nose to his neck, close enough for Kurogane to smell the perfume she wore. It smelled like water lilies, Kurogane recalled suddenly with a pang of homesickness.

Fai didn't smell like water lilies; he smelled of sweat and wine. And his clothes weren't embroidered silk but that increasingly threadbare Sharano outfit. He couldn't compare the softness of Fai's nose against his neck to Tomoyo's, though, since he wasn't carrying the mage in his arms.

...not that he _wanted_ to, under any circumstance. Carrying Fai was for convenience's sake. Just like teaching him Japanese and swordplay and how not to be quite so annoying. (He was failing hideously on that last point.)

Back at the tent, Kurogane plopped Fai onto his stack of blankets. Fai rolled over on his stomach but didn't get up to put on his bedclothes or burrow under the blankets as usual. Kurogane glared at him, willing him to move, but the mage remained perversely immobile.

With a huff, Kurogane grabbed a spare blanket and arranged it over the mage, tucking it under his arms and bony hips. _Only_ because he didn't want to hear any whining about drafts in the tent when he was trying to sleep. Next he quickly stripped his sweaty clothes off and tossed them into a heap, then pulled on a pair of pants before collapsing into his own mess of blankets.

Kurogane drifted to sleep with thoughts of water lilies and skinny arms in his mind.

* * *

Liked it? Hated it? Let me know! A simple note to let me know you're still reading is also appreciated, otherwise I might worry that people are bored with this. :sweatdrops: 


	9. Lesson IX: Choices

**Title:**_Lost in Translation._  
**Lesson IX:** _Choices._ (No. 9 of ?)  
**Pairing:** KuroFai  
**Disclaimer:** These two were hatched from the collective brain of CLAMP. Not mine.  
**Spoilers:** I don't think so, but it is set during the Shurano/Yamano arc. I'm writing a few short stories based on the adventures of Kurogane and Fai in Yasha territory (aka "Yamano") with a focus on the language barrier.  
**Rating:** PG-16. For all the stories as a whole (language, some violence... and possible "adult situations.")  
**Word Count: **3539  
**Notes:** heed the **violence** warning for this chapter. Expect further violence in later chapters as well.

* * *

"Kuro-wanko! For last night, thank you very much for me doing!"

Kurogane nearly dropped his change of clothes. "WHAT?!" he sputtered, his fingers twitching. "I didn't _do _anything to you, moron!"

Fai's sleepy smile mutated into a full-lipped pout. "Did _too_," he insisted, pushing his blankets aside and snatching up a beaded pillow. He pressed it against his shoulder. "Kuro-sama did this to me!"

Kurogane grunted as he pulled on his Sharano top. "Oh, that. Yeah. It's called _carrying_. I _carried_ you."

"Carrying. Carrying. I _carried_ you," Fai repeated, his eyes thoughtful, his fingers brushing against the pillow idly.

"I sure as hell wasn't doing _that_ to you," Kurogane muttered under his breath, his face flushing. He'd just hauled the idiot back with absolutely minimal touching, and he certainly hadn't been the one sitting suspiciously close to Fai at the camp fire.

Kurogane listened to Fai repeat the words a few more times before he nodded his grudging approval. Fai's ear for Japanese had definitely improved because he'd learned to listen for the lengths of vowel sounds. (His one glaring, consistent failure remained the mangling of his teacher's name, but Kurogane knew full well to attribute that to Fai's perversity and not his lack of actual skill.) Later, Fai would undoubtedly pester him to write down the kanji for "carrying" into his "book," a little scrap of discarded papers Fai had sewn together with yarn. The pages were mostly full of kanji along with annotations in Fai's strange language, and occasional sketches (Kurogane had once caught a glimpse of the hated "Big Puppy" avatar while recording a kanji for Fai, but the mage had snatched the book away with a glare before he could "improve" the picture.)

"I need many arrows. I will go to Chiba-sama's tent," Fai was saying as he ran his fingers through his tousled hair. Kurogane honestly didn't know why Fai bothered every morning; the hair was as perverse as its owner and simply returned to its usual messy state after feigning compliance for a few moments.

"Okay, then meet me at the field when you're done. Also, see if you can learn anything from Chiba about Yasha. Be careful."

Fai nodded, then picked up a basket of berries before leaving the tent, probably to give to the archery instructor as an apology for the early morning intrusion. The camp diet didn't include much fruit, so Fai had been rather pleased to find edible berries growing wild in the bushes behind the archery targets. They'd both wanted to explore the outlying wilderness further, but they'd only been given permission to use the training field because Girl Braids had interceded for them, so it would be poor thanks on their part to wander off.

Kurogane unwrapped Souhi from its blanket wrapping, attaching it to his belt as he strode outside. A few evening stars still flickered in the paling sky, and the camp was completely silent except for clattering from the mess tent as breakfast preparations started. Kurogane preferred to purge his mind of extraneous thoughts before sword practice, but his conversation with Fai about the Yasha business lingered. Fai had agreed that the key was "_what they're after_", obviously some secret that was being concealed from the general camp. Perhaps only the officers knew, or maybe even just a select few officers like Gion. According to the friendly soldiers, the bandits had always been an annoyance, springing the occasional raid on the supply wagons or attacking remote outposts, but they'd never waged outright war like they had in these past few weeks. No one had any idea of what could possibly be driving them to behave so insanely; the bandits were outnumbered and outclassed and had thus suffered heavy causalities. Obviously the bandits felt whatever they were after was worth death: possibly, one of the princess' feathers. It wouldn't be the first time people had been willing to die for a feather. A feather would also explain why the camp leadership were being so secretive, and Kurogane couldn't entirely fault them. He could certainly think of a few soldiers _he_ wouldn't trust with such knowledge.

Then there was the matter of the mole. Kurogane rolled his eyes as he started his routine calistenics. That Urauke jerk thought _they_ were the bandits' moles. Idiot bastard. What self-respecting organization would use the most obvious fellows in camp as moles? Back in Japan, he'd been involved in a few undercover operations, and he knew the best moles were average-looking with bland personalities. Neither he nor that idiot mage fit the profile. Kurogane reached forward, grabbing his foot with a bit more force than necessary. It was going to be difficult for Fai and him to discover the truth about the bandits' goal, especially if other people also suspected they were moles. They wouldn't be privy to such sensitive suspicions.

Morning calistenics finished, Kurogane unsheathed Souhi. He ran through a drill, angling and dipping the sword with a slow grace. The matter of Yasha and his mysterious illness also bothered him. Judging from the conversation, Yasha was eager to leave the tent, but for whatever reason Gion wanted to keep him in the tent, and Yasha was (for now) acceding to his wishes. Why did Gion have that sort of influence over Yasha? Yasha certainly didn't seem like the type to need the approval of a Man-Braids. And apparently, Yasha wanted to spar with _him._ Kurogane sliced through the air with gusto. Maybe if he got bored with waiting for Yasha, he'd bust Yasha out of that tent and they could go ahead and have their little spar right then and there. Damn army protocol and all that, he was spoiling for a good, knock-down-drag-out no-holds-barred fight and he had the feeling Yasha could give it to him.

The ground tremored.

Kurogane froze, Souhi halted in mid-air as he stared into the distance beyond the practice fields. There were small, unmistakable dust clouds rising into the air. Someone – _several_ someones – were riding rather quickly in his direction. The ninja squinted. He couldn't quite make out the figures, but something was terribly off. The speed of the riders was far greater than he'd ever seen the dragon mounts of Yasha's men achieve. The mounts' weight prevented them from attaining such speeds, and the soldiers also tended to load them down with weaponry.

With a stab of foreboding, Kurogane suddenly recalled a soldier's remark: _"The 'plainsmen' – or the crazy psycho sons of sand bitches, as we like to call 'em - don't use proper mounts like we do. They got these dragon critters that run on two legs instead of four so they can go helluva fast. But they're mean little buggers and would just as soon eat ya as let ya ride on 'em. Guess that don't matter to crazy sand psychos, though. All they want is speed so they can strike hard an' strike fast an' strike ya dead."_

The camp was too far for Kurogane to race back in time to sound the alarm. On foot, he'd be run down in a matter of seconds. Concealing himself was also not an option; all vegetation had been efficiently cleared from the practice field. So he would have to make his stand right where he stood.

Kurogane flexed his hand around Souhi's grip and exhaled slowly, preparing his mind for the battle to come. By now he could see that there were twelve riders. Twelve battle-ready men from a tribe reputed for ferocity and insanity against one unarmored man. Twelve to one.

A predatory smile of anticipation spread across Kurogane's face. He _had_ been wanting a fight, after all.

As the riders drew within fifty meters' distance, Kurogane saw that the riders were shaking thick throwing spears in the air, and their faces had been decorated with strange, colorful patterns. In lieu of armour, they wore iridescent reptile skins with holes cut for arms and necks over their bare torsos. _Resourceful,_ Kurogane thought approvingly. The skins weighed little compared to armour, but the hide was thick and glancing blows would fail to penetrate.

An arrow whizzed through the air towards his neck and Kurogane swung Souhi upwards, batting it out of the air almost perfunctorily, then he quickly traced the arrow back to a rider with an eagle pattern on his face. Luckily, Eagle Face was the only one clutching a bow. Good archers were troublesome; he'd deal with that bastard soon.

"Not bad for a muck-eyed lackey of an infidel," crowed an old, weathered-beaten man with matted hair as the riders encircled Kurogane, their dragon mounts stamping impatiently and chomping their wicked jaws. A necklace strung with suspiciously familiar incisors hung from the old man's neck, and his face was smeared with white markings like whiskers. Kurogane's estimation of the old geezer rose - the mutant fire bunnies were no joking matter.

The circle of riders around Kurogane tightened as the riders continued to circle Kurogane (a rather pathetic and fruitless effort to disorient him, he thought disdainfully.) "I hope you're ready to die, lackey! I know _**I**_ am!!" chortled Bunny Geezer, jabbing his bunny tail-festooned spear in Kurogane's direction. The other riders all joined in, laughing with glee. Kurogane kept his expression impassive, but privately he found something disturbing about their behavior. An adrenaline-induced pre-battle rush was hardly unheard of, but these riders all shared a look in their eyes that seemed... disconnected. Unreal.

Then the riders charged, rushing at him from all directions, spears pointed forward. _Hope those damn things aren't tipped with poison,_ Kurogane thought as he leapt upwards. His reflexes were excellent, but avoiding even a scratch with so many combatants was impossible.

Two of the riders were unable to halt their mounts in time and crashed into each other instead, spears intended for him impaling one another. Their beasts screamed in rage at being entangled and began to slash at each other with taloned feet, oblivious to the feeble protests from their wounded riders.

Kurogane controlled his downward fall, using his momentum to land upon the hindquarters of Eagle Face's mount. The animal reared back fiercely, but Kurogane had anticipated this and was already on the ground to the side of the dragon, out of range of its talons. Eagle Face lost his grip on the reins and fell off the animal. Kurogane sprang forward and drove Souhi into the man's bow arm, digging into the muscle of the shoulder until it was partially severed. The man's green eyes glazed over and he slumped to the ground. _One pest out of the way._

Spears whistled through the air, and the ninja back flipped, neatly evading them, then he charged towards the throwers who were currently weaponless, slashing at their chests – but not deep enough to cut to their hearts. One of the men staggered as his blood spurted out, but he kept moving as if still capable of fighting. _Damned curse!_ Kurogane thought as he sped towards several dismounted combatants. If not for Tomoyo's little parting gift, he could simply unleash _Chiryuujinenbu_ and be done with these smelly psycho bandits.

Bunny Geezer met his charge with a block from his spear. Kurogane was surprised that Souhi did not cleave the wooden spear in two, perhaps the wood was a special desert variety. He tried to press forward rapidly to overwhelm the old man, but the Bunny Geezer had good footwork and managed to match his blows well. Then two more bandits joined Bunny Geezer and Kurogane found himself on the defensive, surrounded and backing away. It wasn't that the bandits were particularly skilled, with the exception of Bunny Geezer, but they lacked a healthy sense of self-preservation, pushing forward with risky lunges that left them exposed. Kurogane took advantage of one such lunge and took out one bandit's kneecap, then followed up with a quick slash at the other bandit's thigh.

"Not bad, not bad! But we'll win and feed your filthy body to our mounts, _lackey,_" laughed Bunny Geezer, disturbingly unencumbered by the injuries dealt to his men.

"What do you have against Yasha?" growled Kurogane as he nimbly ducked under Bunny Geezer's spear.

Bunny Geezer's grass-green eyes flashed with the fervency of a zealot and he jabbed towards Kurogane's chest with the spear. "The gift from our goddess, we'll bring it back home walking over the corpses of Yasha's army!"

So it _was_ the feather. What else could work the bandits up into such a fury, and possessed powers that could be attributed to a goddess? Still, deducing the source of the bandits' rage did him little good; it wasn't like he could explain that he wasn't the one who had originally stolen it but that he meant to steal it all the same. He'd just have to keep fighting until --

Kurogane's eyes went wide and he clapped a hand up to his neck. Sticky blood leaked over his hand where an arrow had grazed his neck. Surely he must have made a mistake, one of the other men had also been carrying a bow. Kurogane spun around.

Several paces away, Eagle Face smiled at him manically as he notched another arrow, blood gushing down his nearly ruined arm.

_**Impossible.**_ Kurogane felt his hackles rise. That man had been in so much pain that he'd passed out. There was no way Eagle Face should have been able to regain consciousness and force that arm to move, yet several more arrows were rushing towards him. Kurogane batted them away cleanly and then dashed sideways to avoid a thrown spear.

There was a shuffling sound behind him, and Kurogane looked back quickly with sense of growing dread. All the men he'd injured – the ones slashed across the chest, the ones he'd dealt crippling blows on the knees and thighs – were moving towards him, their expressions just as eager and wild as Eagle Face's, as if their bodies didn't register their pain.

With a sudden epiphany, Kurogane understood that strange, glazed look in their eyes. They _didn't_ feel pain or fear. They had hyped themselves up on so many drugs that their bodies weren't responding normally to the injuries he'd dealt. Kurogane gripped Souhi grimly as the injured men were joined by the still fresh riders he'd had yet to engage. Curse or no curse, he was going to have to kill to save his own life.

The bandits circled around him, and Kurogane stepped back with his right foot as he raised Souhi behind his head, tip pointed towards the earth. White tendrils of energy began to coalesce around the blade.

_Ten lives._ How much of his strength were ten lives worth? Kurogane stared sharply at the painted-smeared faces of the approaching men, wondering if the lives of bandits counted as much as the lives of warriors.

Static electricity crackled against Kurogane's clothes as the energy pulsed outwards from Souhi.

Would he be left gasping in the dirt, weak as a kitten after _Chiryuujinenbu_ exploded through his enemies' bodies?

Swiftly, Kurogane stepped forward with his right foot, rotating Souhi into position in front of him. He braced the flat of the sword against his left hand as the blade started to vibrate violently, signaling that it was time to release the attack.

At this range, there was no chance that any of bandits would survive.

He wondered if he could die from too much loss of strength, and who would take care of that idiot mage if he never returned. He thought of Fai waiting and waiting, fake smile plastered on his face, eyes full of empty pain, hands clutching that little book of scraps.

Kurogane felt sick.

_Thawck._

One of the bandits gasped wetly, his hand scrabbling vainly at the arrow neatly skewering his neck. His mouth opened and closed a few times as if he wanted to protest, but then his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground wordlessly.

_Thawck. Thawck._

Two more arrows sang through the air, and two more men fell to the ground, arrows buried in their hearts. The bandits whirled around to face their new attacker, and Kurogane swung Souhi upward, harmlessly releasing the energy into the sky instead.

The new combatant – a man wearing a hooded cloak – advanced forward, pausing only to release arrows periodically with deadly accuracy. Kurogane remained motionless as the bandits around him fell, knowing that to shift his position would interfere with his ally's targeting. A bandit to Kurogane's right grunted as his eye was pierced; he shivered violently before slumping over.

The cloak slipped from the archer's head, and sunlight glinted off his hair. Kurogane's pulse jumped: only one man in camp had hair like that.

Fai's face was completely expressionless as he continued firing rapidly, cutting down the bandits before they could even run a few steps. In a matter of seconds, only the old leader remained. Fai fixed flat eyes on him, and aimed.

"Demon," choked the old man as Fai released two arrows in quick succession into his stomach and chest. The old man thrust his staff into the ground with the last of his strength and leaned against it, wizened hands gripping the tail tassels like a vise. As Fai walked by him, the old man spat blood on Fai's boots. "I won't fall before you, _demon, _cursed one! The goddess take you!"

Fai did not stop or even turn to look at the old man. He kept walking towards Kurogane, his face still blank and his eyes looking through Kurogane, as if he did not see the ninja. He halted mechanically when he was almost on top of Kurogane. "Chibi-sama said I wear this cloak today. It's so early, but it's already hot. Too much sun for me, right? How was your sword practice?"

Kurogane stared at Fai in disbelief as the man continued to rattle off inanities, switching to his native tongue when his Japanese began to break down. _He's shaking_, Kurogane suddenly realized. But the other man continued speaking as if oblivious to his own shock. "Quiet," Kurogane growled, placing his hand over Fai's mouth. Fai stared at him in surprise but did not move.

Kurogane found himself drawing the shivering man into his arms, awkwardly running his hand along Fai's thin back and stroking that soft hair with the other. "Stupid idiot mage," he said softly, mildly surprised with himself; he'd never expected to be _comforting_ anyone on a battlefield littered with bodies, and certainly not a grown man. Kurogane had witnessed breakdowns after battles before, but he'd always pointedly ignored them – he had little tolerance for weaklings. If a man wasn't prepared to kill and accept the consequences, he simply shouldn't get involved.

But Fai wasn't weak, and he hadn't had a choice. Because Fai had wanted to save him. Kurogane swallowed, his throat dry. He'd saved the mage on numerous occasions but had never once imagined Fai _saving_ him; he'd never thought _he_ would be the one to need rescuing.

"Sorry," Fai mumbled, pulling away as his shivering subsided. He drooped his head, his bangs covering his eyes. "It's just... been long time. Not ready."

"Don't apologize, dumbass," Kurogane growled, grabbing Fai's chin to gently tilt the man's face up. "And... thanks."

Fai smiled shakily at him, but there was genuine relief in the smile. "So Kuro-pin to me _olasan_!"

Kurogane dropped his hand. "I don't know what 'olazany' means, but the answer is _hell no._ And let's get out of here. Before these bodies start to stink more than they already do or more of the bastards come."

Kurogane pretended not to notice that Fai was walking much closer to him than usual as they headed back to the camp. He didn't mind so much – he did 'olazip' the mage, after all.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed! I hope the action scenes were well-written; we haven't had that much fighting the story so far, but it will logically continue to escalate when Kurogane and Fai are accepted into Yasha's army. But perhaps the comrade-bonding will balance it out for those of you who don't care for violence. (cough shameless excuse for me to write snuggling cough).

Much thanks for all the kind feedback:smiles: Your encouraging words mean a lot to me.


	10. Lesson X: Responsibilities

**Title:**_Lost in Translation._  
**Lesson X: **_Responsibilities._ (No. 10 of ?)  
**Pairing:** KuroFai  
**Disclaimer:** These two were hatched from the collective brain of CLAMP. Not mine.  
**Spoilers:** Set during the Shurano/Yamano arc. I'm writing a few short stories based on the adventures of Kurogane and Fai in Yasha territory (aka "Yamano") with a focus on the language barrier. (Edit: some spoilers for Kurogane's Rekourto / Library!World back story.)  
**Rating:** PG-16. For all the stories as a whole (language, some violence... and possible "adult situations.")  
**Word Count: **4410  
**Notes:** Kurogane and Fai both have black eyes during their stay in Yamano, not red and blue eyes. This is a fairly significant canon fact. As usual, comments are really appreciated.

* * *

Kurogane and Fai were only halfway across the field when a man with a dark fall of hair rode up. Kurogane stepped in front of Fai – not that the mage couldn't protect himself, he'd just proven he was quite capable of protecting _both_ of them – but Kurogane didn't want Fai thrust into another conflict so soon, not when Fai was still as taut as a rubber band that'd been stretched past its limits.

The man brought his elegant jewel-festooned mount to a halt in front of them, saying nothing as he regarded him with the impossibly black, fathomless eyes. Kurogane immediately realized who he was: _Yasha._ That presence was unmistakable, and now that he was within mere inches of Yasha, Kurogane could sense the aura pouring off the man, intense enough to make his bones ache.

Kurogane stared at him hungrily, unconsciously flexing his hands hard enough that his knuckles popped. If only such an opponent had existed in his Japan. Hell, he could challenge the man right here and now with no interference: Yasha was unaccompanied, so the leader must have sensed the fighting with the bandits and slipped out of his tent without his men noticing. That Yasha would pull such a stunt suggested he was itching for a fight – and a nice spar ought to convince Yasha that he _deserved_ to be in his stupid army, not mucking about idly.

Fai shifted uncomfortably then as if he'd picked up on Kurogane's intentions. Quelling a sense of bitter disappointment, Kurogane forced his hands to rest limply by his sides so Yasha would recognize his change of attitude. _Damned responsibilities._

Yasha's brow furrowed faintly, and his eyes flickered between Kurogane and Fai as if the man were perplexed. Then, almost imperceptibly, the hard lines around his mouth softened, and he nodded faintly to them as he steered his mount around them, towards the scattered bodies.

Kurogane watched as Yasha silently inspected the bodies from his mount. Surely the man suspected something was amiss; he couldn't fail to notice that just about every corpse bore sword injuries but the only fatal wounds were from arrows. Did Yasha know of curses?

Yasha slid off his mount and approached the old man's corpse, which was still upright, Kurogane noted with surprise. Perhaps rigor mortis had set in early, stiffening the joints clutching the spear.

_Wheeze._ "Come to gloat, you infidel son of a bastard?" The old man spat blood at Yasha.

Not dead yet. Unfortunately. Kurogane strained to hear the old man's faint, final rant.

"The goddess knows of your sins, _heeeee-athen._" _Cough._ "Your vile sin against her, against nature, your defilement of our pure desert, your perverse lo--"

Kurogane never got to hear exactly what perversity Yasha was being accused of because Yasha chose that moment to neatly cleave the old man's head from his shoulders. Yasha regarded the headless corpse impassively for a moment, then flicked his sword clean of blood before sheathing it.

"Lord Yasha!" A handful of soldiers rushed forward on their mounts, their faces flushed and anxious as they raced to surround their leader. Kurogane recognized Machida (the coat draping fiend) and Baka-yakky, but the other five soldiers were unfamiliar to him.

"Begging your pardon, my lord," growled a man built like a barrel as he bowed awkwardly in his saddle. "But you shouldn't be out so soon after your recovery. Especially not when we don't know if there's more of the filthy sand rats in hiding."

Yasha's black eyes flicked over him with disinterest. He seemed wholly unimpressed with the prospect of his supposed endangerment.

Barrel-man's lips tightened, and he cut his eyes in Kurogane and Fai's direction. "_Especially_ not alone with persons of suspicious loyalties."

Ah-ha. Bastard Barrel would probably be Officer Urawa, the man who'd accused them of being bandit spies. His being an officer would explain why he thought he had the right to address Yasha, although it didn't explain how he could still stubbornly cling to his suspicions of him and Fai when they'd clearly just slaughtered the people they were supposedly spying for. Idiocy explained it nicely, though.

Coat Fiend cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Officer, but it does seem perhaps some wrong assumptions were drawn about Fai-san and Kurogane-san. They've been ver--"

"Did I ask you to give your _opinion_, Lieutenant Machida? You'll keep your speculations to yourself, and mind that you reconsider your fraternizing with these--"

"Soldiers," Yasha interjected softly. "My soldiers."

Bastard Barrel's jaw fell open. "My lord! They...swo—swore the oath to you? That one can't even speak prop--"

Yasha arched a fine, jet-black eyebrow at the officer, an elegant expression of askance, and kept his steady gaze leveled at the officer until Barrel's head drooped in shame. Yasha considered the corpses again, then he locked eyes with Kurogane and Fai. "This is all the oath needed. Will you join me?"

With those intense eyes on him, Kurogane felt that there was little that Yasha could have asked him that he would have been able to refuse. "Yes."

"Yes," Fai echoed.

Yasha swung himself up onto his mount, then spoke again to Barrel, voice still whisper-soft. "The full moon is in three days. We will return to headquarters. Outfit my new soldiers for battle."

"My lord," said Barrel, his voice choked, and Yasha departed at a leisurely pace, Machida and another soldier guarding his flanks. Barrel took a few deep, aggrieved breaths as he watched them leave, then turned towards Kurogane and Fai with an air of irritation. "Well, just don't stand there like asses. You two follow him to the clothing tent and get changed out of those filthy rags," he snapped, gesturing to Bakayaro. "Then see if any mounts have become available. If not, you'll have fun _walking_ the whole way to headquarters."

Kurogane returned his glare coolly, arms crossed. Like he cared what an idiot had to say.

Barrel seemed irritated at his lack of a reaction and his scowl deepened. "I'll be watching you and your little pet, Kurogane. When you try to cross Yasha, I'll be the one to slit both your traitorous throats."

"Next time you make an accusation, I'll claim my right to challenge you to a duel. I imagine it won't take me very long to ram my sword through your guts, so I'd prefer if I don't have to. I hate being bored," Kurogane explained casually, taking mild pleasure in the various hues of red that flushed across Barrel's face as the veins on his forehead throbbed in anger. The officer opened and closed his mouth like a gasping fish before he grit his teeth and whirled his mount around, racing back towards camp.

"What'd be great is if the two of you kill each other and do us both a favor. Damn drama queens, the whole lot of you," Bakayaro muttered under his breath.

Magnanimously, Kurogane chose to ignore him.

* * *

"Feels awkward. Stiff." Kurogane twisted around in his new set of clothing and armour, stretching his arms from side to side. He'd been given the standard issue suit: two shoulder guards, a breastplate that extended to his waist, and a white headband embroidered with a black half-moon (the irony of swearing loyalty to another ruler with the exact same symbol as the empresses of Japan was not lost on Kurogane. He suspected hitsuzen and the Space Time Bitch at work.)

The clothing attendant blew at his bangs exasperatedly. "Well, at least you're not demanding a suit in white like your friend over there. Honestly! As if I'd be allowed to stock _white_ clothing here. Silly man. I'm going to have to burn that filthy white outfit of his too, lest people start gossiping."

Fai stood scowling in the opposite corner of the tent, completely swathed in black that hung in drapes down his back and around his ankles. Kurogane blinked in surprise; he'd never seen the mage wear all-black before. With his pale complexion and newly-black eyes, the black clothes gave him a particularly intense appearance, one with an edge. But something was missing. "Where the hell is his breastplate?" Kurogane growled. The only armour the mage wore was a plate wrapped around his belly, and a solitary guard perched on his right shoulder. "Too cheap to give him _two_ shoulder guards?"

The attendant clucked his tongue admonishingly and tapped his index finger against Kurogane's breastplate. "I'm a generous man, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you've never seen an archer fitted out for battle here. Heaven knows we barely have any. If your friend were wearing a breastplate like yours, he wouldn't have enough flexibility to get arrows out of his quiver, let alone actually shoot his bow. And do you know how _heavy_ the longbows are? As skinny as he is, I'm surprised he can even pick one up. None of the archers wear a guard on the bow arm; it just adds too much weight. But notice how he's wearing extra layers of clothing. That's very high quality silk there, none of the cheap stuff here! Silk is quite effective in deflecting arrows that strike at an angle."

"Huh," Kurogane grunted, grudgingly recognizing that the attendant at least knew a few useful things. "Well, I can't swing my arms enough around for my attacks in this getup. Give – please give me something different."

The attendant pursed his lips, taking a step back as he eyed Kurogane critically. "If you _insist_, and since you asked nicely. I need to know about your fighting style. Demonstrate one of your attacks, one that shows your whole range. WITHOUT using your sword. I don't want you cutting up my fabrics."

Feeling distinctly silly, Kurogane stretched his empty right hand behind his head and swung it forward in a slashing arc, stopping above his left foot. The stiff armour creaked in protest.

"Ah-ha. Well, that explains your dislike. You rotated your torso quite a lot in addition to bringing your body into a crouch. Your horizontal and vertical range are far more extreme than our soldiers'. Your tribe must use a far different material and design than we do."

Kurogane nodded, impressed with the attendant's assessment. The armour in Suwa – the armour he'd been trained in - had been made of supple hide, not thick plates, and rather than one solid piece, it had been stitched together in several sections for flexibility. "So what are you gonna give me instead?" he asked, struggling out of the armour as the attendant burrowed through piles of clothing and armour, flinging them aside with gusto.

"Hmm. Are you accustomed to fighting on horseback or dragonback?"

"I was trained to fight on horseback."

"Try these." The attendant thrust two long, matching flap-like pieces of armour at him. "Attach them to your waist, one on each hip."

Kurogane did so, noting that the material was supple like animal hide, and it was much more flexible than the armour breastplate. The flaps reached all the way to his knees, and iron rivets reinforced the edges.

"If you're fighting mostly from a dragon, most of your opponents are going to be attacking you from the ground because there are far more men than dragons in both armies. So your legs are actually the most vulnerable. _However_, that leaves those lovely arms of yours exposed," the attendant said, tsking his tongue and running his hands over Kurogane's biceps in a manner that Kurogane found wholly unprofessional. "But maybe we can provide you with the same solution as your archer friend," he said, wrapping a thick swatch of silk around Kurogane's shoulders (far more slowly than necessary.) "It doesn't cover everything – and I'm afraid I have nothing suitable for your midsection – but it's either this or modify your fighting style in three days."

"It's _fine_," Kurogane said through gritted teeth, stepping out of the grasp of the attendant before he could be further molested. "Thanks."

"Why haven't you put on your headband?" The attendant frowned at Fai, who had been idly twisting his headband around his fingers for several minutes.

Fai shrugged, offering him a sheepish little smile.

"Oh, you think it's ugly too! I agree it's absolutely tacky, it looks like a damn head bandage. Hardly the message an army wants to send, I'd think but no one consults _me_. Well, you take it with you anyway, I'd get in trouble if I didn't at least give it to you. Your problem if you choose not to wear it." The attendant smiled then, and reached into the heap of clothes on the floor, pulling out a thin, satiny strip of cloth which he pressed into Fai's palm. "Since you appreciate fashion, though, here's a little something to spice up that boring outfit," said the attendant with a wink.

* * *

"He gave you _a ribbon_," Kurogane hissed after they left the clothing tent. "Hurry up and lose it or feed to a dragon before someone sees it."

Fai ignored him, draping it around his neck and tying it snugly in place. He beamed at Kurogane.

Kurogane despaired. This was the mage, after all, who thought thigh-high boots and elbow-length gloves were a fashion staple for men.

* * *

The attendant at the dragon stalls was none too helpful, only barking out "Stall 18" and lazily gesturing the stall's direction with his thumb when asked about the mount that had recently become available. "Don't come crying to me if you get your hand bitten off," he called out nonchalantly to their retreating backs.

All the dragons were allowed free roam within their spacious stalls, so little warning bells went off in Kurogane's head when they arrived at Stall 18. The dragon lay sullenly in a bed of straw against the wall furthest from the door, its reins trussed to a thick iron ring in the wall. When Kurogane opened the stall door, the animal instantly jumped up and began pawing the ground, floppy ears flattened low against its head.

Kurogane crossed his arms to let the beast know he wasn't in the least bit intimidated, although he was careful to stay well out of reach of its wicked-looking jaws. The ninja suspected those jaws were quite capable of crushing easily through both armour and bone, and he didn't care to test his suspicions. "I knew there was a reason this was too good to be true," he said to Fai as the dragon hissed at them. "There aren't enough mounts per men, and we don't have seniority either."

Fai tilted his head and flashed a knowing smile at Kurogane, then took a slow step towards the dragon.

"_What_ are you doing? That dragon is going to make a snack of you!"

Fai ignored him, crooning nonsense words at the dragon as he walked forward, punctuating the nonsense with odd clucking and clicking noises. The dragon's ears perked up, and its hissing and pawing ceased. It was definitely _interested_ in the mage, although Kurogane didn't know if that was a good thing.

Fai extended a flattened palm to the dragon. The dragon widened its nostrils and tentatively began to examine Fai's palm with loud whuffing noises – then it moved onto his arm, his neck, and finally his hair. The dragon snorted then (a rather pleased snort, if Kurogane were any judge of snorts) and butted its head into Fai's hands, like a cat demanding attention. "That's a good Sharal, isn't she?" Fai murmured, stroking the dragon's muzzle as gently as if he were caressing a child. A child with a hundred two-inch jagged teeth.

"_Sharal_? You're not going to expect me to believe that monster told you its name, are you?"

"Not a monster! Sharal's a lady." Fai leaned his pale cheek against the dragon's muzzle, and the dragon closed its eyes in pleasure as it made a low, rumbling noise that gave Kurogane a mental image of a car trying to purr. Or a bus. "If Kuro-wanko says sorry, he can touch too. She was sad. Her friend – died."

Kurogane blew air through his teeth and rolled his eyes; he would have preferred a horse, naturally. _Guess I have to make nice unless I want to walk every damn battle._ "Sorry, mon--_Sharal_."

The monster opened a slitted eye, regarding him lazily. Then it snorted again, which Kurogane darn well knew meant "whatever, I'll agree to put up with any idiot as long as you keep petting me." Perhaps dragons weren't so different from horses after all: they needed to be pampered and spoiled like whiny, insecure brats. Although was it really necessary for Fai to keep snuggling with the dragon and cooing to it?

Not that Kurogane cared what the idiot mage chose to do with pork buns, flaming birds, or irritable dragons. As long as they didn't start coining new nicknames for him together.

Still, Kurogane admitted to himself, it was a relief to see Fai finally starting to relax, the smile slipping off his face as he leaned against the dragon. The mage's posture had been stiff after his breakdown, his neck and shoulders held with that tell-tale stillness even when he'd been fawning over his new ribbon. But touching the dragon seemed to ease the tension from his body. Perhaps, Kurogane pondered, there was a reason that Fai had insisted on cuddling with the white pork bun so often.

* * *

By nightfall the news of the fight with the bandits had circulated through the entire camp as the soldiers prepared for an early morning departure. The stories had, of course, grown more exaggerated with each retelling. According to snatches Kurogane had overheard while loading gear, some soldiers were speculating that he preferred to play with his enemies in order to prolong their suffering and terror, then he let Fai finish them off for target practice.

Kurogane's lips thinned as he stacked a crate of tent pegs into a wagon. The crates were heavy enough to be handled by two soldiers, but the other soldiers assigned to loading duty had given him a wide berth, careful not to cross his path or meet his eyes as if they were afraid he were a feral dog that would attack upon the slightest of provocations.

Not that Kurogane _cared_ if people had a good opinion of him or not, and he certainly didn't need help loading the crates. Also, he was – frankly - a bit of a bastard, it went with the business – but he _was_ a professional To be accused of toying with his enemies rankled his sense of pride as an efficient ninja, but knowing that he couldn't do anything to rectify the rumors rankled even more. If his enemies in the camp knew he was cursed, they would certainly take advantage of his vulnerable situation.

He could deal, though. It wouldn't be the first time people had thought ill of him; he hadn't exactly received a warm reception in Kendappa's court after killing several of the royal ninja and soldiers while crazed with grief in the smoldering ruins of Suwa. Fai, on the other hand: if he were being treated with the same naked fear and isolation, his reaction would be worrisome. It was obvious to Kurogane that Fai had come to treasure the small tokens of acceptance he'd gained from some of the soldiers. The mage had always had that _need_ to seek out the attentions and affections of others, scanning their faces for acceptance. It was as if Fai had some empty hole inside that he just couldn't fill. Fai wouldn't be able to interpret the odd dialect of the soldiers, especially not when they were whispering cautiously, but he wouldn't fail to interpret physical isolation and fearful glances correctly.

Kurogane sought Fai out as soon as he had finished his assigned task. Upon the archery instructor's request, Fai had been assigned to help package the fragile bows and arrows for the journey, so Kurogane went to the weapons quarters. The preparations had apparently already been finished, however, since the weapons tent had been taken down and packed away.

He wandered around camp, checking the mess tent and the campfire they usually ate at, but no one had seen Fai. Their personal tent was also empty, the flaps still tied shut.

Fai was in the scrub behind the archery field, sitting on a flat rock, his knees drawn up to his chest as he stared out into the distance.

"Oi," Kurogane grunted, sitting beside Fai, but Fai did not look up. Kurogane decided not to press Fai just yet. He was perfectly capable of being patient, although he usually chose not to exercise that capability since it was boring.

Kurogane regarded Fai's new outfit critically. Fai would have blended in nicely into the shadows if not for his hair and skin gleaming under the almost full moon: he'd stand out like a damn homing beacon at that battle with Ashura's clan. And apparently, the battles with the clan of Ashura were always held on the night of the full moon, a choice which offended Kurogane's ninja sensibility. Earlier Kurogane had demanded that his loading partners tell him what fool had decided the full moon was ideal for evening battles, but all he'd gotten was some stammered mumbo-jumbo crap about "fate" and "destiny." The Time Space Bitch, doubtless, would have approved.

Kurogane considered trying to cajole Fai into smearing his face and hands with dark paint and wearing a hood over his hair. He doubted he would succeed, though. For a man, Fai was surprisingly vain.

Minutes stretched into a hour, and Kurogane began to wonder exactly what Fai was looking for. The bandits _had_ attacked from that direction, but Gion had informed Fai and Kurogane that the bandits had retreated far into the plains with their leader and best fighters dead.

A flash of brilliant orange light exploded into the darkness. Kurogane leapt to his feet, drawing his sword with one fluid moment.

"Silly Kuro-bun." Fai tugged on his sleeve, motioning him to sit down. "Look."

An answering burst of pink light pierced the night, then another burst, and another, and another, a whole spectrum of colors. "It's a damned rainbow," growled Kurogane. "No spy would be _that_ stupid."

"Fire bunnies." Fai smiled, looking pleased. "They... look for each other. Women bunnies and men bunnies."

"Then they're _mating_," said Kurogane crossly. The thought of those scale-covered demons reproducing was not pleasing in the least to him. Next thing he knew, he'd get his big toe scorched off when some tiny bunny spawn decided to nap in his boots.

"M-a-t-i-n-g. Ma-t-ing. Ma-ting." Fai tested the word in his mouth, then his expression grew sly. "Fuck-ing!"

Kurogane bit back the urge to threaten to wash out the mage's mouth with soap. It wasn't as if the mage were his child, or as if cursing were inappropriate in an army camp – or that his own language was particularly clean. Kurogane settled for glaring at Fai and resolving to beat the mage if he ever uttered that word around anyone else.

"It was a long time I learned 'fucking.'"

Generously assuming Fai meant the word and not the act, Kurogane nodded. It had been months ago – he wasn't sure exactly when, though. The days had started to pass in a blur. On some days he didn't even think about the princess and brat and pork bun. Tomoyo seemed even farther away somehow. He wondered if she'd gotten any taller.

Wistfully, Fai said, "It was more good then. Only Kurogane. Only Fai."

Kurogane had no argument there. He hated being at the whims of others: Yasha seemed like a decent guy and a great warrior, but obviously he was used to having his orders followed unquestioningly. Tomoyo and Kendappa (usually) were willing to listen to the concerns of others. But he and Fai had no choice, and so they were going to fight in a battle with an enemy they'd never seen for a ruler they'd barely met, with comrades who distrusted them. And Ashura – Kurogane still had no idea why exactly Fai had traded his most precious thing to flee from the man – but obviously Fai had strong feelings about him. If this world's Ashura shared the face of Fai's Ashura, how would Fai react?

"I don't want to fight."

Fai had spoken so softly that Kurogane barely heard him, but the pain in Fai's voice registered clearly. Kurogane's chest tightened. Kurogane was struck with the urge to tell Fai he didn't have to fight, that he didn't need Fai to kill for him. But that would be a lie, and Kurogane despised lies. "Look," Kurogane said, his tongue heavy in his mouth, "I--"

Fai held up a finger, cutting him off. "It's okay. I think a long time. I decided... it's more important that Kurogane lives."

Kurogane knew what he should say, that he should insist again that Fai value his own life. But he couldn't say that, not when Fai was looking at him with _that_ smile, fragile as glass. "Thank you," he said instead.

The next morning, they left the desert for the forests of the Yasha clan.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Comments and criticism appreciated. 


	11. Lesson XI: The Keep

**Title:**_Lost in Translation._  
**Lesson XI: **The Keep (No. 11 of 16)  
**Pairing:** KuroFai  
**Disclaimer:** These two were hatched from the collective brain of CLAMP. Not mine.  
**Spoilers:** Set during the Shurano/Yamano arc. I'm writing a few short stories based on the adventures of Kurogane and Fai in Yasha territory (aka "Yamano") with a focus on the language barrier. Some spoilers for Kurogane's Rekourto / Library!World back story.  
**Rating:** PG-16. For all the stories as a whole (language, some violence... and possible "adult situations.")  
**Word Count: **4322  
**Notes:** I've outlined the rest of the story, and decided to wrap up the story within five more chapters.

* * *

The dragons were _humming._

Kurogane blinked sharply, snapping himself out of the trance he'd been lulled into by Sharal's slow, steady gait and the constant heat of the sun beating down on his back. Surely he'd been imagining things.

The army had been traveling since daybreak and it was now well past noon, so perhaps it wasn't entirely surprising that he'd been drifting (although no less embarrassing for his ninja pride.) The humming didn't disappear as his senses sharpened, though. He placed a tentative hand on Sharal's neck. There was definitely a low vibration there, and the pitch she was producing was quite low, almost at the edge of Kurogane's auditory range. Kurogane contemplated the song for a moment: she wasn't singing alone. None of the dragons were; they seemed to be calling and responding to one another's songs, a sort of a conversation. If dragons were actually capable of such a thing.

The idiot mage, of course, would empathetically insist that yes, dragons _were_ capable and then he'd proceed to manufacture a plausible-sounding "translation" of the dragons' song -- had he been conscious and not currently drooling slightly on Sharal's saddle. _He'd_ fallen asleep over two hours ago, Kurogane's bruised ninja pride noted smugly, while Kurogane's pragmatic side reached for his handkerchief to dab at Fai's face. Silly dork.

Gion pulled his mount up beside Sharal, and gave him a knowing smile when he noticed Kurogane's fingers were hooked to Fai's belly plate. "So the idiot mage doesn't fall off," Kurogane mumbled, his cheeks growing hot, and he wondered why he needed to justify himself to Girl Hair.

"The dragons are singing because we'll reach the forests of the Yasha clan soon – see the hills ahead? That is their native home – they didn't enjoy living in the desert. The hot air and sand are rough on their hides." There was a relaxed air to Gion's face and posture now, as if he'd shed his tension like an unwanted second skin and left it behind in the desert.

"You're from the forests." Gion's expression was unmistakable, and a pang of envy shot through Kurogane. Would he ever see his own home again?

"Yes, I was born here. It's quite beautiful." Gion smiled fondly. "I can show you and Fai around Lord Yasha's keep. There's a river, and if you follow the river downstream, there's a city within walking distance. You know, you're lucky Fai's an archer."

"Oh?"

"Most men have to share housing in the barracks. But people with specialized skills get separate quarters. The private housing is sort of an incentive to encourage to men to develop skills we lack in camp – like archery. Since you're Fai's partner, you get to share a private room with him."

Well, that would make camp life a little more tolerable. He hadn't had to suffer with shared living quarters since he'd first joined Tomoyo's Guard – it wasn't an experience he particularly cared to repeat. The default setting for single young men seemed to be "cave barbarian." He'd had more than one heated argument over whether or not it would actually kill a man not to simply drop his sweaty clothes in the middle of the floor (the arguments had been resolved rather quickly when he'd taken to hanging up dropped clothes on the wall. Using knives.) "So what unit are we fighting with, or do we fight alone?" Kurogane asked.

"I've watched you practice. You've got some nasty attacks," Gion said as he rubbed his chin contemplatively, and Kurogane grinned savagely, pleased at the thoughtful compliment. "I wouldn't want you positioned in the middle or the rear of the army when you cut loose one of those monster blasts. I want you to fight with me in the calvary unit, at the front line. So you can use those attacks to cause maximum damage to the enemy instead of _us_. Plus, it seems you're getting along well with Sharal; she's fought in the calvary unit before. When she puts her mind to it, she's very fast – one of the best as long as you don't piss her off."

"Her previous owner any good?"

Something raw flashed across Gion's eyes. "Yeah."

Kurogane pretended not to notice. Warriors had their own basic rules of etiquette: Don't touch a man's weapon. Don't touch his lover. And don't ask. "I've got no objection to fighting in the calvary," he said, steering the conversation back into more comfortable territory. "But Fai and I fight as a team, always."

Gion hesitated, looking at the sleeping man. "Usually we don't station archers in the calvary. They're too exposed in the front."

"We fight together or we don't fight at all," Kurogane said with a casual shrug. He'd agreed to serve Yasha, but he frankly didn't give a damn about the man's "eternal blood feud" and hitsuzen. Agreeing to serve never meant Kurogane would follow orders blindly. For that attitude, he'd been exiled from Japan and sent on a crazy journey by psychotic Time Space bitch. But he wasn't about to bend an inch.

"He feels the same?"

Kurogane grunted affirmatively.

"Very well. Be sure to take good care of him. Or you'll regret it."

Who the hell did Girl Braid think he was to boss Kurogane around--Souma? "Why don't you f--" Kurogane halted as Gion's tone registered in his brain. That same raw pain from before was leaking into his voice. Sharal's previous rider had been someone important to Gion, Kurogane realized. "Yeah, okay," he said quietly.

The conversation trailed off soon after, and they rode in silence as they neared the hills.

"Be sure to look up," Gion said as they rounded the first hill.

Kurogane started, blinking his eyes roughly to make certain he was seeing properly. A massive, curved... _thing_ loomed in the horizon, so high that Kurogane had to tilt his neck back to take in all of it. The Thing appeared to be at least fifty meters tall and composed of solid stone. A tangled forest sprawled around the base of The Thing, but even the highest treetops barely rose to more than a third of The Thing's height.

"The Spire of Ran. I imagine you've never seen such a magnificent sight. The territory of the Yasha has many of these, but this one is my favorite because it's always the first one I see when I return home." Gion's chest swelled slightly, as if he had personally given birth to The Thing.

Kurogane arched an eyebrow, glowering at The Thing. It was certainly one of the _oddest_ sights Kurogane had ever seen (which was saying a lot in his opinion, given that his current means of transportation was a talking meat bun.) But The Thing's curved appearance rather reminded him of something sinister: like the bent talon or tooth of a demon, reaching upwards to disembowel the sky. All in all, not the first sight _he_ would personally want to see upon returning home – but Kurogane magnanimously chose not share that particular thought with Gion.

"Mmff..." Fai awoke with a yawn and stretched his lanky arms upwards, smacking his lips sleepily until he caught sight of The Thing. His eyes widened as he drank in the sheer size of it, like a child seeing his first really tall building. "Oh... it's beautiful!"

"No accounting for tastes," Kurogane grumbled, but Gion pretended not to hear and beamed and rambled on to Fai about the local flora and fauna the entire rest of the journey.

* * *

Kurogane was pleased to find that Yasha's keep was actually fairly decent, and located in a damn cunning spot to boot – the keep was approachable from only one direction, up a long, sloping hill. The other directions were rendered inaccessible to large numbers of men wearing armour or riding mounts because of the dense, tangled forests ringing the keep. The keep itself was well-designed to withstand a fierce assault or siege. Eight impressively high walls connected to form an octagon, and at each of the eight junctures rose a thick tower. The walls were solid and simply adorned with sparse carvings, and the windows small and practically high. The keep reminded him of an ancient castle he'd seen on a world named Spainizy or Spinizy (except for the insane plant growth everywhere.) 

"It's nice, isn't it?" As soon as the army had arrived at the keep, Gion had pulled him and Fai away for a special tour of the keep and its grounds, complete with a rambling narrative, of course. "Does it meet your exacting standards?" Gion asked, one eyebrow arched teasingly.

"Reminds me of Yasha," Kurogane said after a thoughtful pause, and Gion agreed with a laugh. The keep was practical, simple on the surface, and solid. "I don't see why there's a need for separate quarters and barracks. That thing looks big enough to house three armies."

"Some soldiers do choose to live in the keep. But others find it too drafty – it's almost all stone on the inside, too. So the barracks and private quarters were constructed." Gion gestured towards the small, modest buildings that skirted the keep. "But the different branches are all in the keep: the healers' quarters, the armory, the strategy room, and of course the dining hall. We won't be eating in a mess tent anymore, thankfully."

The prospect of meals without a generous helping of sand was a welcome one. But Kurogane had more pressing questions. "Has the keep ever been attacked by Ashura?"

Gion started in his saddle, violently enough that his mount snorted in protest. "...why would you ask that?"

Kurogane regarded Gion through narrowed eyes, ignoring the flinch he'd felt from Fai at the mere mention of Ashura. "It's a logical question for a soldier. I want to know exactly what to expect here, and how well this keep's defenses hold up. Or is there something you're trying to hide?"

"No! It's just an... unusual question." Gion gestured placatingly with his hands. "I don't think I've ever been asked that before. You see, we don't know where the Ashura clan lives – and they don't know where we live."

"That's bullshit," Kurogane growled, leaning forward angrily. "These people are your 'eternal enemies' - have been for damn near forever, apparently - and you don't even know _where they live?!_ What the hell kind of an operation is this?"

Gion bit at his lip. "Not for lack of trying, Kurogane. We've sent scouts traveling for weeks – months – in every direction, but we've never been able to ascertain the location of the Ashura clan. We can only assume they've done the same but failed as well – no one's ever seen one of his men in this land, and they would certainly stand out." Gion's eyes slid nervously away from him – from _Fai_ - and Kurogane was struck with a cold, certain realization that sank like a rock to his stomach.

"You mean they all look like _this guy_," Kurogane hissed. No wonder Fai had encountered such hostility when they'd first been abducted by Yasha's men – it wasn't just a simple suspicion of foreign appearances. "When exactly were you planning to share this little piece of information with us? When the local idiots in that village had him strung up by his ears?"

"The villagers aren't violent," Gion shot back, his eyes now sparking with anger. "The people here might be isolated, but that doesn't mean they're ignorant and suspicious backwater hicks. I grew up here, I know these people and they know me. _My family _lives here. I was planning to talk to them about Fai before you two ever even visited the village. There was no need to worry either of you beforehand needlessly!"

Kurogane felt a familiar rage beginning to heat his blood and narrow his vision, but when he spoke his own voice sounded incongruously calm and icy to his ears. "_You_ were worried, so don't lecture me about how sweet and cuddly everyone here is and tell me not to worry. And in the future, you'd better well damn tell me everything – I'll be the judge of whether or it's relevant to Fai's safety. He's _my_ companion and _my_ responsibility. Don't ever forget that."

Gion was forming a retort when he was interrupted by a painfully halting whisper from the subject of their argument.

"I... I want to go... to our place now. Please. I'm tired." Fai was still facing forward in the saddle so his expression was obscured, but the bent of Fai's drooping head and shoulders told Kurogane all he needed to know. Abashed, Kurogane held his tongue while Gion led them to the stables, where they unloaded Sharal and rubbed her down before leaving her in a stall with a bed of straw. Gion pointed them to the direction of their quarters. It wasn't difficult to locate: a pleasant, simple two-room house with large window spaces to let in the breeze, and a spacious back porch built of cool, wooden planks.

Fai noticed none of it, though, only casting a glance around in the barest effort to feign interest before he sat down heavily on the edge of the porch, his head still bowed like a broken reed over his bony knees. Kurogane sat down a few lengths away from him (not too far, not too close). Fai seemed disinclined to acknowledge his presence, so Kurogane turned his attentions to the thick forest that spilled out onto the outskirts of their lawn.

He sat silently for some time, his breathing slowing as he willed his mind to slip into a semi-trance as he focused on the sounds of the forest: the swaying of branches and rustles of leaves, the scritchings and skitterings of the smaller animals and the slow, ponderous steps of the larger ones. Any forest or lake or meadow, he'd learned as a boy, was comprised of many living entities, but everything also existed as a part of the whole. To understand the character of a place, one had to be aware of the both the smallest entities and the vastness of the whole. As Kurogane slipped further into his trance, he became aware of delicate beds of moss that lay in silent shadow beneath ancient, spreading trees and curved stone demons' claws. Somehow he knew with certainty that they were both stunningly beautiful and incredibly toxic.

Kurogane blinked himself out of his trance gradually, sorting through his sensations and mulling over how to interpret his impressions. Beautiful and deadly?

The sun had shifted noticeably downward; several hours had passed. Fai still remained crouched in the same position, his eyes distant and dull. With a sigh, Kurogane popped his stiff neck and rubbed it before breaking the silence. "Look, don't worry. Girly Hair was just being a fool. A well-meaning fool, granted, but he shouldn't keep stuff like that from us."

Fai did not answer, and after several minutes Kurogane let a long breath and walked back inside the house. He was halfway across the room when Fai's response finally came.

"_I always make people unhappy."_

Kurogane froze mid-step. The absurd statement had no relevance to the argument, but Fai had whispered it with complete, chilling conviction, as if he'd just said that the sun rose in the mornings and the moon rose in the evenings. Thoughts of silent, poisonous yet beautiful moss crept through Kurogane's mind, and the hairs on the back of his neck rose.

Then Kurogane swore at himself for acting like a foolish old woman, remembering his goal to check on the house's bedding situation. The idiot mage was just feeling melancholy; the journey had been tiring and Fai had never liked arguments. He would be better after resting and eating. Perhaps this place even had sake. A little alcohol, and Fai would be back to his usual annoying self. He'd probably even start meowing like a crazed cat again.

* * *

The sun had just slipped beyond the horizon, leaving streamers of pink and purple in its wake when Kurogane heard a light rapping on the front door.

Gion stood on the porch, his somber eyes hinting at an apology.

Kurogane sighed inwardly, schooling his own expression into something a little less fierce than his default before opening the door to invite the officer inside. Not wanting to hear an apology (he much preferred _beating_ them out of people to receiving them unasked), Kurogane started before the other man could speak: "What you said earlier, about not knowing where the Ashura clan lives, and vice versa – there must be magic involved."

Gion's mouth fell open, then a pleased smile crept over his face. "I shouldn't be surprised you figured it out on your own," he said, slipping his boots off in the entranceway before following Kurogane to the small living room. They each claimed an old but sturdy chair; Gion sat in his backwards. Then Gion said, "I'll explain everything to you, of course – as I intended to do earlier - but if you don't mind, can you tell me how you figured it out?"

Kurogane shrugged nonchalantly. "These woods are full of magic, and so are those weird claw-things, and magic would also explain why the dragons were so happy to return here." Dragons were by nature magical beasts, no matter what world. "If you two clans have been fighting for years, at some point someone's scouts would manage to trail the other army home. _Unless_ magic's involved. So I'm guessing that both Yasha and Ashura's armies are transported to a fixed point by magic, both to and from the battlefield."

Gion gripped the slats of his chair excitedly, leaning precariously forward. "Do you possess magic? You can sense magic, and your guesses are quite intuitive. That would also explain the force behind your attacks, if you've got magic enhancing it!"

The ninja arched his eyebrow, scooting his chair back loudly; he didn't want to be too close when the officer inevitably tipped his own chair over. Magic? Kurogane had never really considered his own abilities to be magical per se; yes, his mother had been a powerful priestess, but being attuned to energies - especially natural ones - was second nature to Japan's warriors. And his guess about the transportation was intuitive if "intuitive" meant using your own damn common sense. But he didn't care what Gion thought about his abilities. Just as long as the officer didn't get too curious about Fai, who _did_ possess magic and a whole hell of a lot of it, if Kurogane's "intuitive" senses were correct. "I can't fling big fire bolts around or curse people, if that's what you were hoping," Kurogane answered carefully. "But I can sense if someone's sneaking up behind me and wants to chop my head off." He said that last part loudly, just in case anyone happened to be listening outside the thin walls of their quarters.

Gion didn't seem to notice the increase in Kurogane's volume. He let out a sigh of disappointment. "Ah, too bad. We haven't got any magic users, but Ashura's one, and he has a few men who are too."

Kurogane was willing to bet his sword arm that Fai's Ashura was a magic-user too.

"Is Fai?"

"No." Kurogane met Gion's curious, innocent gaze firmly.

"Oh, he just _looks_ like he could be one, you know?" Gion rapped his fingers against the chair slats. "Anyway, your explanation: as long as I can remember, or _anyone_ can remember, we've been fighting against the Ashura clan. Whenever the moon is full, we're transported to the Castle of the Moon." Kurogane frowned in confusion, and Gion continued: "At night, you've seen that black object in the sky, floating near the moon, right?"

Kurogane nodded. "I thought it was some kind of asteroid, caught in the moon's gravity." Tomoyo was a moon priestess, so Kurogane had bothered to learned a bit of astrology and astronomy during his free time.

"That's the Castle of the Moon, our battleground. On the nights of the full moon, both armies are summoned there. We remain until the moon reaches its zenith. Then we're suddenly back in our own territory. Those of us who are alive... and those of us who are dead."

"Why?"

Gion made a small, bitter noise. "Who knows? All I know is that we're there and if we don't fight as hard as we can, the Ashurites are going to slaughter us all."

"You don't want to fight them."

"They haven't threatened my home or my country. I have no quarrel with them personally. But I am Lord Yasha's servant." _Whether or not I agree_, said the resigned expression in Gion's eyes.

Kurogane grunted. "And the other soldiers?" He didn't much care for the idea of serving with resentful soldiers. Amaterasu did not use conscripts for the army or the ninja corps.

"Most of them don't seem to think about it much," Gion said carefully. "They enjoy the excitement and the opportunity to test themselves against worthy adversaries."

A mindset Kurogane could certainly understand, and one he'd once shared. Lately, though, he'd found less joy in battle for its own sake. Now fights were just a means to an end: getting back home, and protecting the little odd band he'd fallen in with. "What about this calvary of yours?"

Gion brightened as if it were a favorite topic. "You've already met some of the men in the unit; they're a part of that group you two have been eating dinner with. They're all quite eager to have you join us. It seems you and Fai have won their respect. In about an hour, we'll meet to discuss strategy and run through a few practice routines. I want to see how well you integrate with the unit."

Kurogane rather preferred to think of it as how well the unit could integrate with _him_, but he decided to feign complacency for Braid Man since the officer had been decent to them. "Where?"

"We'll meet at the stables before we head to some of the practice grounds." Gion's gaze drifted to the back porch. Fai's hunched form was visible through the window. "Will Fai... be ready?"

"He'll be there," Kurogane said evenly. He did not want to discuss Fai's emotional state with a relative stranger, even a well-meaning one.

Gion nodded then politely excused himself. Kurogane waited a few minutes before walking out to the back porch to stand beside Fai. Fai had lifted his head from his knees to stare blankly at the first faint stars appearing in the evening sky.

"I know you heard that whole conversation, so I'm not going to bother to repeat it. But I do want to tell you this." Kurogane waited until Fai looked at him to finish. "It's bullshit to say you make people unhappy. I spend more time with you than anyone, and you don't make me unhappy at all."

Fai's breath stilled, the flat look slipping off his face, and Kurogane felt his chest hitch at the naked vulnerability there. His response actually mattered to the mage. A _lot._ Kurogane forgot the rest of what he had planned to say, so he simply acted on his desire not to see the man looking like a damn discarded doll and reached down and seized one of Fai's hands, tugging the man to his feet. Fai's long fingers had developed calluses, but the skin on the back of his hand was still smooth and soft. Kurogane thought of Kendappa's graceful fingers dancing across her harp at court while Tomoyo sang an airy, wordless song. He'd heard Fai playing that piano in the Cat's Eye Cafe, but every time Kurogane had entered the room, Fai had abruptly stopped playing, pretending he was suddenly busy with work.

"Kuro-pon." A flush had spread across Fai's pale cheeks, and he averted his gaze to the house.

Kurogane realized he was still holding Fai's hand. Struck by a capricious streak, Kurogane tugged the other man close. "You don't make me unhappy," Kurogane repeated. "You drive me _mad_, you idiot."

"Oh," was all Fai said, and Kurogane dropped Fai's hand then and stepped back quickly, wondering why he'd practically _breathed_ that last bit into the mage's ear. He'd meant to deliver it with his usual growl. Kurogane crossed his arms sternly to disguise his discomfort. "Hurry up and get ready."

A sly grin spread across Fai's lips. "I didn't hear. Can Kurogane say again? Right here?" Fai tapped his ear.

"Get the hell ready already," Kurogane mumbled as he turned sharply on his heel, but he actually didn't mind the teasing right now, not when Fai had that comforted, gentle look in his eyes. Like Fai had finally decided to believe something he'd said.

Perhaps an idiot mage could indeed be taught new tricks.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Castel del Monte is what I based Yasha's keep on. Pretty nifty, eh? I can't show the image here, but you can Google it. :)

We never actually see Yasha's lands in the manga, so the description is based on what we see of Ashura's lands. Lots of wild jungle growth, and those strange horn-shaped objects. I decided, however, that Yasha's keep would look quite different than Ashura's gorgeous castle.

I'm very sorry this update was delayed so much. In part, it's because I've gotten wrapped up in writing a _Hikaru no Go_ fic. The other part is that CLAMP continues to blow my poor fangirl mind with the weekly releases... it's a little hard for me to write what amounts to a basic fluff piece when the angst parade never stops in canon. Heh.

Feedback of all sorts, as always, is welcomed. Give me encouragement so I can occasionally pry myself away from the evil Hikago fic bunny!


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